


You are My Happy Place

by ISmellLikeQueeeef



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - No Monsters, Angst, Attempted Sexual Assault, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Baseball, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Child Abuse, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, Heavy Drinking, Homophobia, Maybe a Little Hanky Panky, Nicole is hella stud, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Harm, Waverly wants to be carried everywhere, Wayhaught - Freeform, Wynonna Earp & Nicole Haught Friendship, curse is still real though, just when I remember to add a tag, not really the order that it happens, revenants are just normal people that got snatched back from hell, tags will be added as they appear in the story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2019-12-25 15:24:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 78
Words: 343,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18264095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ISmellLikeQueeeef/pseuds/ISmellLikeQueeeef
Summary: Waverly figured she was going to have a pretty normal life in Purgatory. Marry, have kids, die. That's how it works in small towns. But one day when she gets into some "trouble", she realizes that maybe life isn't going to be so boring after all.ORWaverly meets Nicole after getting pulled over and immediately questions all of her life decisions.Idk I am bad at summaries, but I think you get the gist of it.





	1. Hello, Officer

**Author's Note:**

> Ok. Lets be real here. I have never done anything like this before, so if you guys have any helpful tips or comments, it would be greatly appreciated.  
> Please don't be too mean to me I am very sensitive.  
> Hope you enjoy this first chapter.  
> Ill see how this does, and I will eventually add a second in the next week or two, if not sooner.  
> Let me know if there are any grammar or spelling or any kind of mistakes.

       Waverly pulled her phone out of her back pocket. “5:15,” she whispered to herself. She put her phone back and continued to wipe off the bar.

  
       “Hey Shorty,” she said with a smile, watching her boss walk out from the kitchen, swinging a towel over his shoulder.

  
       “Hey there, Little Earp,” he responded.

  
       Waverly set the rag down and began nervously picking at her fingers, “So, umm, it's a Tuesday night, and the new season of my favorite show starts at 6, so I was wondering if-”

  
       She was cut off by Shorty. He placed his hand gently on her shoulder, “Yes Waverly, you can take off early. I expect you here tomorrow bright and early to help me restock the liquor cabinets, though.”

  
       A huge smile crept onto her face, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!!” Waverly shrieked, giving him a tight hug, which was slightly uncomfortable for him, for she was bouncing up and down.

  
       She grabbed her purse and jacket and skipped out of Shorty’s. She made her way to the Jeep and hopped into the driver's seat. After starting the car, she plugged the AUX cord into the jack and then into her phone. She opened up her Apple Music app and clicked her favorite playlist. She backed out of the parking lot and began her drive back to the homestead, bobbing her head to the music and singing along.

  
       “I’m so fancyyyy, you already knowwww! I’m in the fast lane, from LA to Tokyo!” Waverly was singing her heart out. She was still jamming to her tunes when the dreaded red and blue lights started flashing behind her. “ _Oh shit_ ,” she muttered, pulling over to the side of the road. She fumbled with her phone for a second to pause the music. She nervously watched her mirror and tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, when a tall, thin but built, redhead in a tan Stetson stepped out of the car. Waverly watched the policewoman walk towards her Jeep. She felt like she has seen her once or twice at the station, but never enough to pay too much attention to her. As she approached, she began rolling down her window, taking in a breath of the chilly air entering her car.

  
       “He-hello, Officer,” she stuttered, as she finally saw the face of the woman. Her heartbeat picked up as she saw the most beautiful brown eyes she had ever seen staring back at her.

  
       “Hello, ma’am. It's a nice evening isn’t it?” the officer responded, with a slight, but noticeable southern drawl, turning to look at the sunset to the right of her.

  
       “Yea, it is.” Waverly began to talk very quickly with worry in her teary eyes, “What seems to be the problem, Officer. I wasn’t speeding unless my speedometer is off, and I was driving attentively. My seat belt is on. I’m not quite sure what I was doing-” Waverly paused her ramble when the Officer placed her hand on top of her hand that was resting on the side of the door. She quickly looked up into those beautiful brown eyes, feeling the warmth of her hand seep into hers. She used her other hand to wipe the single tear that slid down her face.

  
       “Hey, shh, none of that. I just pulled you over to give you a heads up that your left taillight is out. Nothing really to worry about, just make sure you get that changed as quickly as possible,” she informed her, pulling her hand away and tucking her thumbs into her belt, flashing a smile that revealed a dimple on each cheek. “I will still need to see your license and registration, though. It's protocol,” she shrugged.

  
       Waverly opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but nothing came out for a second or two. She grabbed her wallet out of her purse. “Oh right. I, uh, I didn’t realize that it burned out. Sorry I went on a tangent. It's usually my sister having to deal with the police. I just got scared there for a second.” She let out a quiet giggle as she pulled her license and insurance card out and placed them in the Officer’s outstretched hand.

  
       The tall Officer tipped her hat and walked back to the cruiser. She took a few breaths and began to watch her in the mirror as she walked away, taking in the view of the backside of the officer. She let out a gasp and looked down at her feet. She began rubbing her hands up and down her thighs, not only for warmth but more because of the embarrassment she felt from looking.

  
       After a few minutes of silence, she heard the door of the cruiser shut and saw the gorgeous Officer walking back towards her. She rolled back down the window and looked back into those eyes of hers.

  
       “Well, everything checks out,” she reported with a smile, handing her back her ID cards, “I didn’t realize I was speaking to an Earp. It's my pleasure.” She tipped her hat.

  
       “Oh, Officer. I’m not royalty. I’m just Waverly . . . I don't think I caught _your_ name, either, you seem to be new around here.”

  
       “Yes I am, I just started working here about a month ago. Monday was my first day on actual patrol. I was just stuck doing paperwork in the station for a while. I’m Officer Haught. Nicole Haught.” She offered Waverly a handshake.

  
       Waverly’s jaw almost dropped at the sound of her last name, but she resisted it. “Well, I am glad you chose the lovely town of Purgatory to work in. It's nice here . . . most of the time,” she smiled, accepting the handshake.

  
       “So I've been told . . . Well, I better be on my way. Shorty’s will start to fill up here soon. I'm sure there will be trouble there. I guess you of all people would know that though, I see you work there.” She gestured down to Waverly’s red and blue Shorty’s crop top.

  
       “Yea. I do. Shorty let me off early tonight." She glanced towards her radio. "Oh! It's already 5:50 . . . I guess I’ll see you around, Officer Haught," she smirked, popping the “T” on Haught. 

  
       “See you later, Waverly. Maybe I'll see you at Shorty’s soon, and you can buy me a drink.” She gave Waverly a wink and a smile and handed her her police contact card as she walked away.

  
        The brunette sat there for a second, taking in what the Deputy had just said to her. She didn’t know what to think. She had never thought about a girl in that way. And she was still dating that douchebag, Champ Hardy. They had been dating since high school, and she just never felt the need to get rid of him.

       Well, not until now.

       She glanced down at the card, “Haught, huh? Very fitting,” she said to herself with a grin. She put her music back on and pulled back onto the road.

  
        When she pulled into the Homestead driveway, she looked at the clock. It was 5:58. She shut the car off, grabbed her things, and ran into the house. She threw her stuff onto the couch and snatched the remote out of Wynonna’s hand.

  
       “Hey! I was here first, Babygirl!” She shouted at her. She jumped up from her seat and started chasing after Waverly.

  
       “My show is coming on in a minute! The new season is out! I told you this morning that if Shorty let me off I was going to watch it tonight!” She dodged Wynonna’s flailing arms reaching for the remote.

  
       “Ya know, Waves, I was probably still drunk this morning,” she retorted, still reaching for it.

  
       “I don't care! I have been waiting for this since last year! You can have the TV back right after it's over! Deal?” she asked.

  
       “Ughhh fineeeeeeeeeeeeee!” Wynonna grabbed a bag of chips and the half empty bottle of whiskey from the counter and stomped upstairs.

  
       Waverly flopped onto the couch, flipped to the right channel, and took her shoes off. She was so giddy. She didn’t know if it was because of the show, or Officer Haught, but she didn’t care. She just sang along to the theme song, grabbed a blanket, and laid back to enjoy her night off.

  
       About an hour later, the show ended. She called up the stairs and told Wynonna she could have the TV back. Wynonna rushed down the stairs and snatched the remote out of her hands with a chuckle. 

  
       “Soooo . . . did you hear about the new Officer, Wy?” The younger girl asked, grabbing a few chips from the bag on Wynonna’s lap.

  
       “Haught Stuff? Yea, she is great, kinda nosey though. Always wants to know what Dolls and I are doing,” Wynonna shrugged. “At least she likes my puns.”

  
       “Oh, I am sure she does.” Waverly rolled her eyes. Wynonna laughed into the bottle pressed against her lips. She thought for a second before abruptly bringing the bottle down onto her lap.

  
       “Wait. How do you know Haughty?” She was now sitting up and scrunching her eyes at her sister.

  
       “Uhhh.” She looked away at the wall.

  
       “You are going to tell me or I will make you eat those hot wings over there . . . _with no drink_.” She glared at Waverly.

  
       Waverly sat there for a second, still looking at the wall. “Imayhavegottenpulledover.”

  
       “You what?! Waves, you are supposed to be the good one! What did you do?” She demanded, shaking her wrist.

  
       “I only had a tail light out, Wy. I didn’t know. I’m sorry,” she mumbled, covering her face with her hands.

  
       “Really? . . . Well, that’s boring. I thought you may have gotten caught joyriding down the highway or something like that. Ya know, the _fun_ stuff people your age do.” Wynonna took another swig of her drink.

  
       “I’m sorry I abide by the laws of this country, unlike somebody I know,” she said with a smirk, nudging her knee.

  
       “Yea, you better. Gus will shoot me if she thinks I am rubbing off on you.” The older girl's phone buzzed, so she looked down at the text on her screen. “Doc wants to meet at Shorty’s to get a little tipsy. You in for some fun tonight, Babygirl?”

  
       “Last time I _had some fun_ with you, you barfed all over my brand new dress, which is still stained by the way. I think I will pass . . . I have to be at work early tomorrow, anyway.”

  
       “You’re missing out, Waves.” Wynonna took one last gulp and trotted up the stairs to get changed.

  
       “Mhm, I’m sure I am,” Waverly grumbled. She sat back and began to flip through the channels to find something good to watch. She eventually found a documentary about Ancient Egyptian pyramids.

  
       A few minutes later, Wynonna came back down, kissed Waverly on the cheek, and headed out to Shorty’s. Waverly waited until she heard the rickety green-blue truck leave the Homestead before pulling Officer Haught’s card out of her pocket. She stared at it for a second, and then pulled her phone out from between the couch cushions, adding her number to her contacts. She smiled and set her phone down with the card on top on the table behind her.

       Before she knew it, it was apparent that her rough week had caught up with her, and she was drifting asleep on the couch before 8 p.m.


	2. Spooked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly goes in for her early-morning shift at Shorty's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What?! A new chapter already?  
> I got bored so I decided to write this whole thing. I kinda have no life . . .  
> I would like to say thank you for all the kind comments yall left. It really inspired me to keep writing this story.  
> I hope you guys enjoy this one just as much as you did the first one. :)

       Waverly was waken up by the sound of a key spazzing around on the doorknob outside. She grabbed her phone, unknowingly knocking the card on the floor, and checked the time. “Wynonna it's 3 AM!” She groaned and got up to let Wynonna in. She opened the door and saw a wasted Wynonna with two bloody hands. “For God’s sake! What happened?” She questioned with a very concerned look on her face.

       “I’m alright, Babygirl. Your boy toy and his friends on the other hand, not so much,” she slurred.

       Waverly grabbed her arm and cautiously walked her to the kitchen sink to wash her hands off and treat her wounds. “What'd he do this time?” She turned the water on so it was just drizzling out of the tap and stuck Wynonna’s hand under the water.

       Wynonna let out a small wince. “Him and his friends decided to each pick some random lady to flirt with. _Apparently_ , they were having a competition to see who could round the most bases . . . Let's just say when one of the whore-hounds came up to me, Doc and I made sure they _all_ went home empty-handed.”

       Waverly’s mouth dropped. She finished cleaning off her first hand and started on the other. “I can’t believe him! I am _so_ done with that douchebag. All he wants is to get in my pants, and when he can’t get in _mine_ , he tries someone else." She let out a loud groan. "Why have I been putting up with him for so long?” She finished the other hand and pulled her sister along to the bathroom to get some bandaging supplies.

       “Wave. He is _Chump_ _Hardy_. It's what he does. He has been doing this type of shit for _years_ , how are you just realizing it now?”

       “Well, I think I have finally decided that this kind of relationship isn’t what I want anymore.” She slowly wrapped gauze around Wynonna’s fist.

       “See, Waves, you really are smart,” Wynonna cooed, giving her a big, toothy smile.

       “Yea, mhm. Let’s get you to bed before you hurt yourself even more.” She slowly walked Wynonna up to her room and helped her change into her nightclothes. “Night, Wy. Sleep well.” She kissed her on the forehead and walked out of the room. She decided that the next hour or two of sleep were going to be in her bed.

       She woke back up at around 5:30 at the sound of some strange noises coming from downstairs. She sat up, stretched, and walked down to find the older brunette struggling to open the cap on the Advil bottle with her bandaged hands. “Need some help?" She questioned with a yawn.

       “Yea, maybe a little bit,” she admitted, giving a helpless look to her younger sister. Waverly grabbed the bottle and opened it. She poured a few pills out and handed them to her.

       “Thanks, sis,” Wynonna sighed, gulping the pills down. “I guess I had a pretty fun night.”

       “You sure did . . . Ya know, beating the pulp out of my boyfriend and his hooligans . . . again.”

       “Oh boy,” she muttered.

       Waverly grabbed a banana from the counter and began to peel it. “I am really going to do it Wy, I'm gonna dump him. I don’t deserve all the crap he has put me through in the past few years . . . And I know I can do better. _Way_ better.” She smirked at her comment, thinking of the redhead staring into her soul. She shook her head, coming back to reality.

       “Oooooooooooo, you have a cru-ush!” Wynonna sang.

       “I do not,” she scoffed. “I was . . . just thinking about how happy I will be to be free from him.”

       “Ooook, whatever you say, Babygirl,” the older one concluded. She took another sip of her coffee and walked upstairs to get ready for the day.

       Waverly leaned against the counter and began to think. What will it be like to be a single adult? She had never been one, technically, because she was dating champ when she turned 18. What would it be like to date a woman? This was all very new to her and she began to panic. What if she doesn't like me? She could have just been being a nice person. What if she asks me out? Will I say yes? Or will I say I need to think about it? She let out a sigh and walked to her room to put her work clothes on.

.  .  .

       Waverly walked into Shorty’s and was greeted by the man himself. “Good morning, youngin’. Ready to start?”

       “I sure am,” she said, setting her things down behind the counter. “Thanks for letting me off last night. I really appreciate it . . . I, uh, I’m sorry about Wynonna causing some trouble. It wasn’t too bad, was it?"

       “Well, I had to close early due to safety concerns and then spent an hour scrubbing blood off random places around the bar. But it's ok. She was just trying to make sure the ladies of this fine town stayed safe, so I understand.” He gave her a tired smile as he handed her a crate of assorted liquor bottles and she began to place them in their specified spots.

       After a while of sorting bottles and chatting with Shorty, the job was done. She wiped her brow of the small gather of sweat above it and then grabbed a rag to clean things off around the bar before it was time to open for the day. She continued humming along to the radio and wiping along the bar before moving to the taps. She was going one by one when suddenly one started spewing beer at her. “Ah, Jesus!” She quickly tried to shut the tap off while also shielding her face from the beer spraying at her. After a few attempts, she finally got it to stop. “ _Perfect_.” She began patting herself down with the already soaked rag.

       “I didn't know Shorty's had wet t-shirt competitions." Waverly jumped and quickly looked up at the Officer standing in the door frame. "You ok?"

       “Uh, yea. Sorry, I’m a bit jumpy. I had a crazy night.” She eyed her with a smirk, continuing to try and wipe herself down. She started to feel butterflies in her stomach as the woman walked up to the bar and sat her Stetson down, revealing the tightly braided ginger hair that was hiding beneath it.

       “Sorry I wasn't there to see it,” she replied with a sarcastic grin that slowly changed to a solemn smile. "I really hope I didn’t spook you too much last night.”

       “No, no. It’s ok. I've just had a long week, so things that usually don't get to me are starting to.”

       “I see . . . Well, can I get a cappuccino to-go?”

       “Um, I’m really sorry. We aren’t actually open yet,” Waverly replied apologetically, regretting it instantly. _Nice Waverly, totally couldn’t just slip her a coffee before opening, she is a cop after all._

       “Ah, my bad. It's just when I see something I want I don't want to wait . . . And your door was open, so . . .”

       “Right.” The butterflies in Waverly’s stomach seemed to be multiplying very rapidly. “Oh God, I’m sopping wet.” Waverly cringed at her wording.

       Nicole laughed. She glanced down at the very wet tank top, _maybe_ for too long. She quickly averted her eyes back up to Waverly’s.

       “Gosh, I keep telling Shorty he needs to fix these _darn_ taps. Sorry, um, do you mind just, um . . .” She signaled for the Officer to turn around so she could take the wet top off.

       “Ohh, right. Yeah.” She turned and leaned back on the barstool. As Waverly began taking her shirt off, the Earp Curse caught up to her, and she was stuck with her arms above her head, struggling to break free. After a few seconds, she gave up. 

       “Crap. Uhh, Officer. I’m stuck, so can you-”

       Nicole quickly spun around and walked behind the bar. “Oh, yeah. Let me help you,” she smiled. She pulled the shirt off the smaller ones tangled arms and handed it back to her. “I got you,” she chuckled.

       Waverly covered herself up with the shirt. “At least you’re not some guy, right, or this would be realllyyyyy awkward,” she commented, feeling her cheeks get hot. “I, uh, I owe you one.”

       “Alright. Well, how about you buy me that cup of coffee? How about tonight?” She gave Waverly a look, raising her eyebrows, that would be hard for anyone to resist.

       Waverly began to fumble her fingers around the hem of the tank top. “I, uh, can’t,” she said quietly with guilt in her eyes.

       “No?” Nicole asked, almost looking hurt.

       “No. I mean, I'd love to, uh, _like_ to . . . but I have plans. Yeah. I'm a planner.” She began darting her eyes around the room before settling them back on the Officer's. “I like to know what I'm doing at least two or three days in advance.” Nicole crossed her arms, not know what to say. “I’m in a relationship,” Waverly blurted out, “with a boy,-man.”

       “A boy-man?” She asked with a smile to die for, walking around to the other side of the bar.

       “Well, sorta in a relationship,” she corrected herself. “I'm breaking up with him after the _stunt_ he pulled last night.”

       “Oh . . . I'm gonna guess he was one of the guys fighting in here last night?” She looked sorry for Waverly.

       “U _nfortunately_. It was his actually his smart idea to start harassing the girls in the first place.” She looked down at her feet.

       “I’m sorry he is such an ass, Waves. You _definitely_ deserve better than that.” She was almost startled by the nickname. She looked up, finding the Deputy looking at her with soft eyes.

       Waverly gave her a small smile. “Yea. It took me 4 years to figure that out,” she huffed.

       Nicole placed her hat back on her head. “Well, if you ever need anything, you have my number. Don't be afraid to use it.” She gave Waverly a wink and a smile. “I mean it.” Nicole Haught strolled out of Shorty’s, leaving Waverly Earp with her jaw dropped.

       “Officer Haught, what are you doing to me?” She whispered to herself with a smile. She walked over to her bag and pulled out the shirt she left in there for situations like this. She pulled it over her head and grabbed her perfume to try to cover the stench of stale beer radiating from her body. She walked into the bathroom and washed her face and fixed her hair. She could already tell it was going to be a long, long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well then . . .  
> Did you like it? Let me know in the comments below and feel free to add any ideas or corrections.  
> Did I do this scene justice?
> 
> As you might have noticed, some of the dialogue came directly from the show itself, so I give the writers full credit. I just used it to help make the story more realistic.


	3. I Will Be There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly continues her day at Shorty's, and our favorite boy-man comes in to pay Ms. Earp a visit.
> 
> PLEASE READ BEGINNING NOTES

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes a turn I didn't even see coming until I wrote it.
> 
> Unfortunatly, I do have to slightly spoil it for obvious reasons: 
> 
> W A R N I N G: This chapter contains a version of sexual assault, so if that topic is triggering to you in any way, this might not be the fic you should continue reading . . . if you just don't want to hear the details of it, read to the three dots, and then skip to the notes where I will give a brief summary of what happened after as nicely as I can.
> 
> I hope this sudden change of mood doesn't push any of you away.
> 
> Thanks again for reading

       Waverly’s morning consisted of telling the drunks of the town for the _100th_ time that they do not serve alcohol until 11 AM, slowly developing a headache from the crying baby a couple brought with them, and consoling a wife and cleaning up the broken dishes after her angry husband flipped a table.

       She didn’t think her day could get any worse, but then the one and only Champ Hardy strolled into the bar like he owned the place. His face was terribly bruised, but it didn't seem to bother him. “Fantastic,” she grumbled to herself. She walked around the bar to wait on some tables so she looked busy. Maybe, _just maybe_ , he wouldn’t bother her.

       She sighed as she saw he was walking over to her. “Heeey, Baby,” he greeted, placing a wet, slobbery kiss on her cheek.

       “Hi,” she responded grumpily, walking in the opposite direction with a cup that needed to be refilled.

       “What’s wrong?” He questioned, following her.

       “Nothing, Champ. Please leave me alone so I can do my job.” She returned the cup to the table.

       “Well . . . Maybe I can make you feel better, huh?” He smirked, pulling her back into him by the hips.

       “No, you _can’t_ , you are just making it worse,” she retorted,  _maybe_  a little too loud, as she wiggled out of his arms. There were a few stares from the people around the bar. She pushed him to the hallway of the bathrooms. “I am _sick and tired_ of you screwing around, and then acting like nothing happened. I know what you did last night. And I can’t do this anymore, Champ. I’ve been putting up with you and your games for _far_ too long. _We_ are _done_. I tried to make it work, but I want a real relationship, and I know that however hard you try, you can't make it one because you are _a_ _child_.” She poked his chest. “You don’t even have a job, for God’s sake! It's time to grow up and start living in the real world where not everything revolves around you because believe it or not, you’re not that great. _Shocking_ , I know.”

       Waverly pushed past him and walked back behind the bar, placing both hands on the counter to help balance herself. Her whole body was shaking. She had never told someone off like that. It made her felt better, though, because she knew it was for the better. After a minute or two, Champ walked out of Shorty’s, scratching his head. She let out a breath of relief.

       Waverly knew she was working a double-shift today, so she poured herself her third cup of coffee, and slowly sipped on it, taking in the calm environment of the bar she knew wouldn’t last for long.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       It was nearing 7 PM. Waverly was exhausted. She had been up on her feet all day long. And she still had a few more hours left to work. All she wanted was to go lay in her bed and watch Netflix. She continued on, though, handing out beers and pouring shots for the demanding customers. The bar was starting to fill up. Her face brightened up when she saw Wynonna and Doc walk in.

       “Well, if it isn’t my _favorite_ bartender,” Doc drawled, tipping his hat to her.

       “Hi!” Waverly greeted.

       “Gimme 2 whiskeys, Babygirl,” Wynonna prompted with a smile, patting the counter.

       “Coming right up,” she smiled, grabbing the glasses and bottle. She poured it and slid the glasses to her older sister and her “boyfriend”, or whatever Wynonna was calling him these days. She leaned across the bar to get her head in between the two of them. “I broke up with him,” she whispered. It felt weird to say it out loud for the first time. 

       “Alright, Waves! How does it feel?” Her sister asked, giving her a high five.

       “It feels good. I thought it would have stung, but I feel fine.” Waverly finally had some energy in her voice again.

       “That means it was never true in your heart,” Doc commented, tapping his chest.

       “I guess it wasn’t,” Waverly shrugged, sliding back to a standing position. “Ok, well your fellow alcoholics are waiting for me. Talk to you later, guys,” Waverly said with a wave. She walked along the bar and continued to serve people.

       “I swear, he better not try anything,” Wynonna breathed, sliding her finger around the rim of her glass.

       “He sure won’t be walking back in here if he does. He’d be a dead man before he could put one foot through that door,” Doc assured with a sound of disgust in his voice. “She deserves nothing but the best, and that _disappointment_ of a man was certainly not that.” Wynonna nodded her head in agreement and took a sip of her drink. They walked from the bar to go chat up some townsfolk that were wandering around. 

       An hour or so had passed, and Waverly noticed nature was calling. She told the other bartender she was going on break, and she headed to the bathroom, opening the stall door.

       Out of nowhere, she felt a pair of large, warm hands grab her hips and a bulge push against her back under her crop top. She stood there frozen for a good 5 seconds before letting out a shriek. She spun around and saw Champ, who looked like had had a few too many, giving her the creepiest smile she had ever seen.

       “What the fuck are you doing?!” She demanded, trying to push his hands off her.

       “I am gonna show you how much you really _do_ need me. I love you, Waves. I know you didn’t mean what you said earlier,” he slurred, tightening his grip on her waist. He started pushing her into the handicapped stall.

       “Champ! Let go of me! I don't want you and this is why! Please! We can talk about it!” She continued struggling. He now had her pinned to the wall, holding her arms above her head.

       “You just made a mistake, Waverly. I’ll show you.” He began kissing her and grinding on her leg as he felt her up with his free hand. She was batting her head around, trying to keep him away from her, trying to scream. He was trying to unbutton her shorts when she heard a crack and felt wetness on her face. Champ suddenly dropped to the ground. Waverly dashed to the edge of the stall, shielding her head with her hands. She peeked out between her fingers and saw Nicole checking his pulse, and then putting a pair of handcuffs on his unconscious body. She noticed the broken beer bottle on the floor next to him.

       Nicole looked to Waverly, who was now sitting on the ground, hugging her knees to her chest. She stepped over Champ and squatted down to the brunette's level. “Are you ok?” She asked, in the softest voice. Waverly stared at her in shock for a few seconds, but then started sobbing uncontrollably. The Officer scooted closer to her and Waverly crawled into her arms. She put her back against the stall wall and Waverly put her head against her chest, facing away from her attacker, and curled up in between her legs, hugging the redhead's arm tight to her chest. A single tear ran down Nicole’s cheek. They sat there in silence, the only sound being Waverly’s sobs. 

       About a minute had passed. Nicole heard footsteps and looked up to see Wynonna standing at the opening of the stall with her jaw dropped, staring at Champ. “Wha-what the hell,” she whispered, pushing her hands through her hair. Nicole put a finger to her lips, stroking her hand through Waverly's hair. Wynonna nodded her head and walked over to the sink to looked at herself in the mirror. She turned around and sat against the wall so she was facing Nicole and Waverly. They all sat in silence again.

       Waverly had stopped crying after a while. She sat up with a pained groan and quickly crawled to the toilet. She vomited multiple times and Nicole scooted to her, taking her hair back and gently rubbing her back. Wynonna gathered her thoughts and walked out of the bathroom.

       When she finished, she slowly stood, and Nicole did the same. She wiped her mouth on the collar of her shirt and walked out of the stall, pushing her body as close to the wall to avoid his body. She walked to the sink and turned the water on. She swished some water in her mouth and spit it out. She then splashed some water on her face and dried it with a paper towel. The Officer walked out of the stall and tossed the shards of the beer bottle in the trash can. Waverly turned to her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, looking at the ground.

       Nicole took a step closer to her. “For what? You didn’t do anything wrong,” she soothed with soft, but concerned eyes.

       “You shouldn’t have had to save me. I should have seen it coming.” The brunette was tearing up again.

       “Hey, no. Shh. Don’t cry. It's ok, Waves. It is not your fault,” Nicole said softly, pulling her into a hug. They stood like that until Wynonna walked back in. 

       “I brought the cleanup crew,” she mumbled quietly. She was standing with Shorty and Doc. Waverly stepped out of the hug and they turned to face them.

       “We are going to go get some fresh air,” Nicole said, looking at the smaller girl.  

       “Ok,” Wynonna said. “I will be out there in a second.” Waverly grabbed onto Nicole’s arm, and they made their way out of the bathroom.

      They made a b-line for the double doors of Shorty’s. When they were outside, Waverly loosened her grip on the Officer’s arm. They walked over to a bench and sat down. Waverly leaned her head on Nicole’s shoulder and she responded by gently interlocking their fingers together.

       The Deputy looked up at the sound of the doors opening a few minutes later. She saw Doc and Shorty holding Champ’s arms and dragging him out of the bar. She put her hand on Waverly’s head to block her vision. They took him over to Wynonna’s truck and tossed him in the bed. Wynonna soon came out after and walked over to the girls. She handed Nicole a bottle of water and sat down on the other side of her sister. Waverly sat up and took the bottle. She opened it and took a few small sips, wrapping her small arms around her older sister. “Can we go home?” She asked, releasing her sister from the hug.

       “Yea, Babygirl, we can. Officer Haught is gonna drive us home since my truck is a bit busy right now, right Haughty?” She asked, giving her a knowing look.

       “Uh, yea. Of course.” They all stood up and walked over to Nicole’s cruiser.

       Wynonna helped Waverly into the passenger seat and. “We will be right in ok, Babygirl? Hold tight.” She rubbed her thigh and gently closed the car door, walking around to the front of the car and leaning against the hood. Nicole followed and stood in front of her. Wynonna rubbed her hands on her face. “What all did you see?” She asked, a concerned look in her eye. Nicole realized Wynonna still didn’t know what really happened.

       “Well.” She took a second to put it all together. “I had just gotten to Shorty’s. I grabbed a beer, and then asked if Waverly was working tonight because I wanted to ask her how it went with Champ, she told me earlier she was going to break up with him. The bartender said she had gone to the bathroom a few minutes before so I figured I would go stand outside the door to scare her cause . . . well yea. I got to the door and I heard some weird noises coming from inside, but I couldn’t tell what was going on so I went in. I heard a struggle and some muffled screaming so I quickly rushed to the stall, and saw . . .” She stopped wide-eyed and glanced into the car. Waverly was sitting sideways, picking at the car seat.

       “C’mon Haught, spit it out.” Wynonna’s voice brought Nicole back to reality.

       “Sorry. Uhm . . . I saw Champ . . . trying to . . . kiss her and he was . . . grinding on her . . . while she was pinned against the wall. She was squirming and trying to get away . . . and I saw him going for her pants. I left all my weapons in the car because I was off duty and planned on having a few tonight, so I wacked him with my bottle. When he collapsed, I made sure he wasn’t dead, and I went to Waverly to make sure she was ok. She crawled in my arms and started sobbing. Then you came in a few minutes later.” Nicole looked at Waverly again.

       “He tried to . . . damn,” she said, almost too quiet to hear.

       “I’m sorry I couldn’t have got there sooner,” Nicole mumbled, looking down at her feet. She almost fell over when Wynonna knocked into her with a very forceful hug.

       “The important part is that you got there when you did . . . before nothing else happened.” After a few seconds, Wynonna released her python grip on the Officer and stepped back, wiping a tear from her face. “Thank you, Nicole. You saved my baby sister. I don’t know how I'll repay you.”

       “Well, you could stop with the puns, that’d be nice.”

       “In your dreams, Haught Shit,” she sighed. They both chuckled and got into the car.

       Nicole pulled into the Homestead driveway, and they all got out. Nicole walked over to Waverly and the shorter girl pulled her into a hug, gripping the back of her shirt. She removed her hat and set it on Waverly’s head. She looked up at the Officer with the biggest smile she has seen from her that night. “You can keep it for the night if you want,” Nicole offered. Waverly responded by hugging tighter.

       “Thank you for tonight,” Waverly mumbled.

       “I just did what anyone would have done,” she admitted.

       Wynonna walked around to them. “Ok, Babygirl, let's go inside. It's cold out here.”

       Waverly stepped away and Nicole gave her a small smile. “Have a good night, let me know if you need anything. I'll be there” The sisters waved her goodbye and walked into the ranch house. Nicole climbed back into her car and started it up. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as she pulled out of the driveway and headed home. She had no idea how that poor girl was going to recover from this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To sum it up for those who did not read: Waverly breaks up with Champ  
> He comes into Shorty's later drunk and surprises Waverly in the bathroom. Some not so nice stuff happens  
> Nicole comes in at the right time and bashes him on the head with a beer bottle  
> She comforts Waverly for a while and then they go outside  
> Shorty and Doc drag Champ out and throw him in Wynonna's truck bed  
> Wynonna comes and comforts Waves  
> Nicole explains to Wynonna what she saw happen  
> Nicole drives them home  
> She gives her her hat before she leaves and tells her that she can contact her whenever because she will be there
> 
> Thank yall so much for reading. I really hope this doesn't push a lot of you away. If it does I might write an alternative to this story with the same beginning.
> 
> Like always, please comment your thoughts, ideas, and corrections :)


	4. Rodeo Clown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly begins her attempt to cope after her attack and Nicole is trying to help in every way possible. 
> 
>  
> 
> Read Beginning Notes, please :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
> Sorry that I couldn't post last night. I was at a party for most of the night and was too tired to post when I got home.  
> I am going to say it again just to be safe: if the topics from the last chapter bother you, I would suggest not reading this fic because it continues into this one. 
> 
> Thanks for all the nice comments and Kudos. I really do appreciate them. 
> 
> I am glad you guys weren't noticeably bothered by the big change. 
> 
> I just want to mention that I don't know a whole lot about this topic, so I am doing my best to represent it as proper as I can. By no means am I trying to offend anyone.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter. :)

       Nicole drove along the empty road, radio on low, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. She pulled up to her house and took the keys out of the ignition, wiping her face off with her sleeve. It was now 9 PM. She grabbed her phone off the seat next to her and opened it to make sure she didn’t miss a text or call from either of the girls. When she saw nothing, she tossed it back on the seat. She sat there for a while. Her mind was spinning with all these thoughts, and she didn’t know what to do about it. She wanted to know everything she could about this _Champ Hardy_ so she could make sure he suffered as much as possible. She put the keys back in and sped off. She knew _exactly_ what she wanted to do.

 

**___**

 

       Wynonna locked the top and bottom locks on the front door, making sure Waverly noticed. She walked over to the couch and set all their things down. “So. Do you want me to make you some food? I can make pancakes,” she offered with a smile.

       “I think I am just gonna go to bed,” she answered softly.

       “Ok. You . . . want me to sleep in there with you tonight?”

       “Yea,” she mumbled in a whisper, almost sounding ashamed.

       “Ok, Babygirl, whatever you want, whatever you need, just let me know and I will try my best to help you,” she insisted.

       “Thanks, Wy.” She gave her sister a hug. “I am going to shower first, though.”

       “Alright. Holler if you need me, I’ll be in here.” Wynonna sat down on the couch and flipped on the TV. Waverly went upstairs to grab some clothes. When she arrived in her room, she gently put the hat down on her pillow. She went into the bathroom, turned the light on, and shut the door, locking it. She twisted and pulled on the handle to make sure it was not going to come open.

      She set her clothes down on the cabinet shelf and stared at herself in the mirror above the sink. She rubbed her hands on the back of her neck and then brought them around and rubbed her face. She had light black lines under both eyes from her mascara running. “Waterproof, my ass,” she muttered as she reached under the sink to grab the makeup wipes. After she cleaned her face, she started the shower, warmer than she usually set it. She now realized she had to get undressed. She paced back and forth in the small area, hugging her body. She stopped and closed her eyes to calm herself down.

       She saw him again, pressing himself against her.

       Her eyes shot open with a gasp. She shook her head and gathered her surroundings, reminding herself that she was safe at home.

       She let out a breath and began slowly taking off her clothes, eyes glued on the door. She stepped into the burning stream of water and closed the curtain. The steaming water rolled down her chilled skin, sending a shiver down her spine. She let it pour onto her head, drenching her hair. She now noticed her eyes were closed, and she pulled her head back in fear of seeing those dreaded images again. It was inevitable that she was going to have to close her eyes. She was in the shower and unless she wanted water and shampoo in her eyes, it would have to happen. She dropped her arms to her sides and shook them, opening and closing her hands. She decided to save the worst for last and washed her body first, making sure to give an extra scrub to all the places he was touching most.

       It was now time for her hair. She grabbed the shampoo bottle and squirted a dollop of it onto her hand. She wet her hair once more and closed her eyes, moving her hands quickly through her long brunette hair. To distract herself, she was thinking of one thing and one thing only: laying on Nicole’s chest in the bathroom. She could almost hear her heartbeat and feel her stroking her fingers through her tangled hair. She washed the shampoo out and opened her eyes, deciding she could forget about conditioner for tonight. Giving herself one last rinse, she shut the water off.

       She grabbed the towel that was on the rack outside the shower and began rubbing it throughout her hair. She twisted it up in the towel and grabbed the other to continue drying herself off. She put on an oversized Mickey Mouse shirt and some black spandex shorts. After brushing her teeth, she unlocked the door and walked out of the bathroom. She tossed her dirty clothes in the hamper outside the door of the laundry room. Wynonna was sitting on the couch watching some weird Mexican cooking show.

       “You ready for bed?” She asked, looking up at Waverly.

       “I guess we can wait until my hair is dry,” she replied.

       “Ok, come sit down then.”

       Waverly walked over to the couch and sat next to her sister, snuggling up next to her. “Why are you watching this?” She asked with a laugh. “It’s not even in English.”

       “I am _expanding_ my horizons, Waves . . . And I really like Mexican food.” 

       “Whatever you say, Wynonna,” she sighed. Wynonna grabbed the remote and switched it to the news. The weather was on.

       “It's been awful cold for March, wouldn’t you say, Sharron?” The reporter questioned.

       “It sure has, Bill,” Sharron responded. 

       “Our next story might be a shock for some of those from Littlefield. Well-loved citizen, John Abraham, was just charged with raping a young lady in a local bar-” Wynonna quickly flipped the channel. She glanced down at her sister, who now looked like a deer in headlights, staring at the tv. Wynonna put her arm around her and pulled her close. She slowly leaned into her sister and curled herself into a ball.

       “I think it is time for bed,” the older girl whispered, slowly rubbing her hand up and down her back. She nodded her head in agreement. Wynonna stood and turned the TV off. She grabbed Waverly’s hand as they walked up to the smaller girl's room.

       They laid down on her bed and Wynonna pulled the covers over both of them. Waverly took the towel off her head and shook her hair out. “You can wake me up at any time, ok, Waves?” She nodded. She was now clutching the hat to her chest. Wynonna gave her a kiss on the cheek and situated herself on her pillow. “Love you, Sis.”

       “Love you, too, Nonna,” Waverly replied groggily. She was extremely tired but didn’t want to sleep in fear of nightmares. After a while of contemplation, she decided she better at least try. She shifted onto her side and closed her eyes. She began imagining Nicole again after taking in her aroma from the Stetson and slowly drifted off to sleep with a small smile on her face.

 

**___**

 

       Nicole pulled up to the station and jumped out of her car. She walked in and headed straight for Nedley’s office. The door was open and she saw him hovering over a stack of paperwork. She knocked on the door. “Sir?”

       He looked up and removed his glasses. “Officer Haught, I didn’t expect to see you here so late. What can I do for you?”

       She walked in and sat in the chair in front of his desk, reaching to remove her hat but then remembered she had donated it to Waverly. She just scratched her head instead. “I, um, I . . . need everything we have on Champ Hardy,” she said nervously, grinding her teeth as she said his name.

       The Sheriff looked confused. “And why is that?” He asked, leaning forward in his chair.

       Nicole hadn’t thought about the possibility that he would ask that. “Because . . . of last night’s fight. I have been wondering how often he causes problems.” She cringed at her response.

        Nedley stood up and turned to his file cabinet, opening it and thumbing through files. Nicole walked over to him. He pulled out a semi-thick file and handed it to her. “Be careful with it. I am sure I will be needing it soon,” he sighed with a look of annoyance.

       “Thank you, Sir. I will.” She rushed out of his office and headed straight for her own. She was glancing down at the blue label that read “James “Champ” Hardy” when she was suddenly stopped by a hand on her chest.

       The Officer looked up and saw Agent Xavier Dolls. “Woah there, Cowgirl! What’s the rush?” He asked, furrowing his brow.

       “It's classified," she huffed, pushing past him.

       The Marshal pursed his lips. “Who are you looking into, Haught?” He asked, following her. She sighed, entering her office and waving him in, shutting the door behind him.

       “Oh, ya know, just our favorite rodeo clown,” she revealed, slamming the file down on her desk and sitting down.

       Dolls sat down in front of her. “Champ?” He asked, looking surprised.

       “Mhm.”

       “Why?”

       A wave of worry rushed over her. Should she tell him? Wynonna would probably tell him anyway, right? He would be a good help, too. She was staring at him, mouth slightly opened. “He, uh . . . Waverly . . . broke up with him earlier and he . . . tried to . . . do things to her . . . in the bathroom at Shorty’s. I knocked him out before anything too bad happened, . . . but she is really shaken up about it. I want to do everything I can to help her.” She looked up at the ceiling, holding her tears back.

       Dolls shot up, pacing back and forth and rubbing his hands together. “I-I’m gonna beat the shit out of that son of a bitch! Where is he!!” He boomed, slamming his hands on the back of the chair.

       “Doc has him. I don’t know where he is taking him or what he is going to do with him, but the last I saw him, he was being tossed in the back of Wynonna’s truck, and then Doc sped off.”

       “Well. I think I am going to go pay Mr. Hardy a visit. I’ll let you know what I find out.” Dolls stormed out of her office, leaving Nicole alone with the file.

       She opened the front cover and picked up the stack of papers, thumbing through them. There were around 30 records. She closed it and stood up with a sigh, “It's gonna be a long night.” She walked out and headed towards the break room, pouring herself a large mug of coffee with  _just_ the right amount of half-n-half. Grabbing a small bag of cookies from the counter, she made her way back to her office. 

       She picked up the stack of papers and flipped them over. If she was going to learn everything she could, she was going to start from the beginning. She realized she was looking at a juvenile record sheet. She saw his birthday at the top. 6/2/93. The date of the arrest was 5/14/06. “12 years old, huh?” It was for theft. She read the incident report. He was with his friends and they were running around Purgatory stealing garden flamingos out of people's yards. She read through the next couple. They were from the next 3-4 years and were mostly for underage drinking and trespassing, nothing too shocking.

       When she got to the 11th paper, she almost fell out of her chair when she read the incident report.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops. Just a little Cliffhanger. Sorry not sorry! ;)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this, even though it was kind of a filler chapter. I still haven't totally decided what I want to do with Champ yet. 
> 
> Ideas, Corrections, and Thoughts are always welcome in the comments.


	5. Breakfast Time!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole wants to know more about a certain page in Champ's arrest record

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The part after the three dots is kind of graphic, just letting yall know.
> 
> Another chapter today? Ikr I am excited too.
> 
> Hope you enjoy finding more out about Champ's history.

       Nicole read it over and over again. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if her drowsiness was causing her to hallucinate.

       She wasn’t hallucinating. What she read actually happened.

       Date of crime: 9/21/11. Type of crime: Attempted Sexual Assault.

       The incident report said something along the lines of his girlfriend was mad at him for cheating on her. She broke up with him. He then got angry and drunk. He knew she was going to be with her friends that night, so he found her at the park where she was alone making a phone call. He grabbed her and explained to her that he was sorry. She told him to go away. He started assaulting her. One of her friends came up and stopped him. They then called 911. At the bottom of the paper, the charges were listed. He made bail, but he didn’t have to go to court because the girl dropped the charges on him, saying she was just upset with him and he really didn’t do much to her.

       Nicole’s mind was overrun with emotions. She was upset that there was another girl just like Waverly that he tried to hurt. But, she was also mad that Waverly dated him, most likely _knowing_ what he did to another girl. Yea, it was almost 5 years ago, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t do it again. She quickly read through the rest of the reports. They were mostly bar fights and public intoxication, typical Champ.  

       She stood up and went back to Nedley’s office holding the paper. “Sheriff?”

       “Yes, Haught?” He asked, looking up at her with tired eyes. It was now nearing midnight.

       “Sorry to bother you again, but in his file, it says a few years ago he was charged with sexual assault, but the charges were dropped a few weeks later. What else do you know about that?”

       “Get in here and shut the door,” he said with a sigh. Nicole slowly closed the door and sat down in the chair. “As we know, Mr. Hardy is one problematic young man, and, as I am assuming you noticed, he has been in and out of this station his whole life.”

       “Yes, sir,” she said, listening attentively to what her boss was telling her. He began with the story.

       “Well, he had this girlfriend in his teen years named Jessie Reyes. She was best friends with my daughter all throughout school, still is. He was not the nicest to her. Always unfaithful, starting fights. One day she finally had enough and broke up with him. You read what happened. Well, some of her other friends got it in her head that if she followed through with the charges, she would never be taken seriously by a man in Purgatory again. She believed it and dropped all of it. Chrissy tried to convince her they were filling her head with bull, but she was too scared so she just went with it. Nobody really talks about it, but everyone knows what happened. Even his girlfriend now, Waverly, she knows. She started dating him less than a _year_ after the incident. She didn’t believe it actually happened . . .. I fear for the day she breaks up with him,” he said, slouching down in his chair. He shot right up after seeing the look on Nicole’s face. “Officer Haught, did he-” He was cut off when she dropped her head in her hands. “Oh lord,” he whispered, walking around the desk and giving her a soft pat on the back.

 

**.  .  .**

 

_Waverly couldn’t move._

_The mix between his strong hand holding her wrists above her head and his body pushing against her left her paralyzed. She tried to get away. She tried to scream in hope that someone would hear her. But no one came. She was helpless. She didn’t know what he was going to do to her. His free hand was now trying to pull her shorts down. When they were down as far as he could get them, he moved to his own jeans, unbuttoning and unzipping them, whispering provocative slurs into her ear. She was trying to kick her legs at him, but his knees were holding her legs in place. He inched his boxers down just below his waist, and Waverly looked down, realizing what was about to happen. She tried with all her might to break free, and she was screaming as much as he was allowing her to get out. His free hand went over her mouth and he . . ._

       “WAVERLY!!!” Wynonna screamed. She was straddling her sister, trying to hold all of her flailing limbs down, shaking her at the same time. Waverly’s eyes shot open. She let out a wail and darted her eyes around. She realized she was in her room and that Wynonna was holding her down. “Babygirl, look at me,” she stammered out of breath. Waverly stared into her sister’s teary blue eyes. “He’s not here. It's just me and you. You’re at home. Just breathe, Waves, you’re ok. It was just a nightmare.”

       “I was- . . . he tried to- . . . I thought- . . . oh my God,” she stuttered in between sobs.

       Wynonna climbed off her lap and pulled her into her arms. “Shhh, Babygirl, I know. I heard you.” She was stroking her head and slowly rocking her.

       “You heard me?” She asked, still crying. She realized her throat was sorer than it was when she went to sleep.

       “Yea, you were screaming. And calling my name. And calling Nicole’s name. I climbed on you to try and wake you up, but it was a good 5 minutes before you came to. I’m so sorry,” Wynonna choked out.

       The bedroom door was suddenly kicked in. Waverly jumped back with a shriek and shielded herself with the blankets. Wynonna jumped off the bed, grabbing the shotgun off the floor and aiming it at the figure in the door. She saw Gus standing there, pistol raised at her.

       “What in God’s name is going on in here!” The older woman exclaimed, lowering her weapon. The darker brunette put the gun back on the floor and rushed to the door. Waverly brought the covers away from her face, and let out a sigh of relief. 

       “Oh, Gus!” Wynonna breathed, giving the woman a bear hug. “Don’t do that! I almost shot you!” She released her and they walked into the room.

       “Well, I almost shot you, too. Do you blame me!? I decided to pop by and bring my two favorite nieces breakfast, but as I pulled up, I heard Waverly screaming bloody murder. What was that all about?” She asked, looking towards Waverly, whose face was stained with tears. “Oh, Waverly.” She rushed to the bed, setting her pistol down as she scooped her into a hug. Waverly hugged her tight but looked up at her sister with fear in her eyes.

       “Hey, Gus, how about I help you get the breakfast out of the car and set the table?” Wynonna asked, gesturing for her to follow her.

       “I think that’s a great idea,” she agreed, standing up. She cupped Waverly’s cheeks and kissed her forehead. “Get dressed in some loose clothes, I am gonna make you eat your fill.” She gave Waverly a loving smile and walked out with Wynonna.

       The duo walked outside to Gus’s car. Wynonna went to open the car door, but her aunt stuck her hand out and shut it, sliding between her and the car. “You are going to tell me what is going on _right now_ , young lady. There is no reason my baby up there should have been screaming like that! What did you do to her?!” Gus demanded.

       “ _I_ didn’t do anything,” Wynonna mumbled.

       “Then what was it?” She crossed her arms.

       “Waverly broke up with Chump yesterday,” she said quietly, looking down and scooting a rock around with her foot.

       “Well, good riddance. She finally got some sense knocked into her head. That still doesn’t explain why she was screaming, Wynonna.” The brunette looked up at her, tears starting to roll down her face. “Wynonna . . . what, what happened?” Her voice was softer now. She pulled her niece into a hug.

       “He tried to rape her, Gus! Last night in the bathroom at Shorty’s. Officer Haught knocked him out before he could actually, but he scared the _living shit_ out of her! She was having a nightmare about it and wouldn’t wake up. That’s why she was screaming this morning . . . I’m so s-sorry I wasn’t in there to stop him. She never should have dated him in the first place. S-She knew what he did to that Jessie girl.” She was sobbing now. Gus stood frozen, arms wrapped around Wynonna’s shaking body. 

       “And where is he now?” Gus asked with a low growl, pulling back from the embrace.

       “Doc has him somewhere. He will get what he deserves. I promise.”

       “He better . . . Help me bring this food in before it gets too cold.” She cupped Wynonna’s face and wiped her tears. They grabbed the McDonald's bags and headed inside.

       The table was set and Wynonna’s face was free of any evidence that she was crying when Waverly made her way downstairs.

       “WOOOOOOOO!!! LET’S EAT SOME FOOOOOOOD!!!” The older Earp screamed as she slammed her butt down on the chair and grabbed a few hashbrowns.

       “Jeez, save some for the rest of us,” Gus said with a chuckle, sitting down across from her.

       “It looks like you bought out the whole restaurant, so I think we're good,” Waverly smirked, sitting down next to her aunt.

       “Well, you know how that one eats. I kind of had to. Now, you, Dear, need to put some meat on those bones!”  

       The ladies had a nice and happy family breakfast. Wynonna was leaning back in her chair moaning and groaning in pain after they finished. She had eaten maybe a liiiitle too much. Gus and Waverly were gathering the trash.

       “ _Get up_ , Wy, you have to help, too,” Waverly groaned, punching her arm.

       “I am helping. I’m staying out of your way,” she said matter-of-factly, walking over to the couch and turning on the TV. Waverly rolled her eyes and continued to put the leftovers away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry. We still don't know what is happening to Champ. 
> 
> I want to make sure I do that scene justice. 
> 
> And I felt the need for a few more filler moments in this story to reveal more about everyone's character.
> 
> I hope you are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it. 
> 
> Go crazy in the comments! :)


	6. Deputy Dimples

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole comes over to check on Waverly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were wondering, yes, I changed the title of this Fic. I felt the other fit the first chapter more than the whole thing. Idk, I'm picky. 
> 
> We finally get to see Wayhaught together again, sorry for making you guys wait so long. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this one.

       Nicole startled awake after a loud knock on her door. She threw some joggers on and stumbled down the hallway towards the front door of her house. She opened it and saw Dolls in dirty clothes with small blood stains that were _obviously_ not his.

       “Mornin', Haught. I know you’re off today, so I was wondering if you wanted to join me on a visit to our little friend?” Dolls asked, leaning against the door frame, crossing his arms with a grin.

       “Is that even a question?” She asked sarcastically, raising her eyebrows.

       “Well, go get ready. I would suggest wearing clothes that you don’t mind if they get a little . . . dirty,” he said with a wink.

       “Actually, um, I planned on popping by Waverly’s to check on her this morning,” she admitted, scratching the back of her neck. “Just shoot me a text with the address and I’ll meet you there soon.”

       “Ok. Just don’t mention to her what’s going on. Wynonna might show up if she knows where it is.”

       “I won’t. Thanks for coming by, Dolls. See you in a bit.” The Marshal turned with a nod and walked down the stairs, entering his black SUV. Nicole walked back inside. She was thrilled that she was going to be able to confront Champ with the new information she had about his past. She walked to her room and tried to decide what she wanted to wear. She didn’t want to wear any nice clothes because she knew she was going to be getting dirty, but she also didn’t want to look too sloppy, for she was going to Waverly’s first.

       After a few minutes of contemplation, she decided on a long-sleeved grey Hollister shirt that she had owned forever and some ripped skinny jeans. After she finished getting ready, she threw on her red vans and a red beanie, grabbed her gun out of her safe, and headed out the door. She climbed into her car. “Beanie _and_ vans? Very gay of you, Nicole,” she grumbled, cringing at her outfit choice. She pulled away from her house and headed towards the Homestead. 

       She pulled into the driveway and noticed a car that she didn’t recognize sitting there. She didn’t expect them to have company this early in the morning. With a shrug, she shut the car off. After checking herself in the mirror, she walked up to the house and gave it a gentle knock, hearing Wynonna’s voice from the inside scream, “I’ll get it!” She swung open the door and greeted her. “Well, if it isn’t Deputy Dimples!”

       “Hi, Wynonna,” Nicole sighed, rolling her eyes.

       “Get your ass in here, you’re letting all the heat out,” she complained, grabbing Nicole’s arm and dragging her inside.

       “How are you?” Nicole asked, following her towards the kitchen. 

       “I’m ok, you?”

       “Pretty ok,” she replied.

       “And who is this fine young lady?” Gus asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

       “This is Officer Haught, uh, Nicole Haught,” Wynonna introduced, giving her aunt a look so she realized who she was.

       “Hello, Ma’am. Very nice to meet you.” Nicole offered a handshake to the woman.

       “None of that “ma’am” crap, call me Gus,” she corrected with a tut. “And we hug ‘round here.” She pulled Nicole into a hug, dropping her voice to a whisper. “Thank you for saving Waverly.”

       “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” she whispered back.

       Gus stepped back, still holding onto her upper arms. “Well, I am glad you were the one there. I can tell you care about her, or you wouldn’t be standing here right now.” She gave her a loving smile, squeezing her arms. They both looked up when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

       “Nicole?” Waverly walked over to her. “What are you doing here?” She asked with concerned eyes.

       “I decided to come by and see how you guys were doing, I hope that's ok with you,” she said, praying that she wasn’t overstepping her boundaries.

       “Oh. Of course it’s ok with me,” Waverly assured sweetly, grabbing Nicole’s hands and running her thumbs over the tops of them. Nicole blushed, looking down at their hands. “Why wouldn’t it be?” 

       “Uhhhm, I don’t know . . . I just wanted to make sure,” she said quietly, looking up at her with a bashful smile. 

       “Scram! I need to sweep. Your messy sister left crumbs all over the floor.” Gus flapped her hands at the two girls.

       “You brought the food!” Wynonna shouted from upstairs. Waverly and Nicole laughed, walking over to the couch.

       “So . . . how was your night, any problems?” Nicole asked with a concerned brow. Waverly pulled a knee to her chest and balanced her chin on it.

       “I . . . had a pretty bad nightmare,” she admitted, almost inaudible by the way she whispered.

       “Oh, Waves . . . I’m so sorry. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to,” the Deputy said, scooting her hand an inch closer to her's.

       “No, I want to,” she said, resituating herself so she was closer to Nicole. “It was of him, but this time you didn’t come. Wynonna said I was screaming and kicking everywhere. She finally got me to wake up right before he actually . . . _did it,_ ” her voice dropped off at the end. Nicole swore she was telepathic because when she looked up at her, Nicole knew exactly what she wanted.

       She turned and pushed her back against the arm of the couch, and Waverly slipped in between her legs, putting her back against her chest. Nicole crossed her arms over her tightly, pulling the shivering girl as close to her as she could. “You’re gonna be ok, I promise,” she said gently.

       “I hope so,” Waverly mumbled back, nuzzling her head into the crook of her neck.

       Gus walked over a little while later and draped a blanket over the two of them, then handing Nicole the TV remote. “Ya’ll two have fun doing . . . _that_. I am going to head out. Shorty says he needs a hand today.” She gave Waverly a kiss on the forehead and squeezed Nicole’s shoulder. 

       “Bye, Gus. Love you.”

       “Love you, too, Wave. Nice meeting you, Officer Haught.”

       “You too,” Nicole replied. Gus gave them a smile and gently closed the door on her way out. “She really cares about you guys."

       “Yea, she’s great . . . She was the one who raised me after the atta- . . . my father died and Wynonna left,” Waverly said, quickly correcting herself. “What were you two talking about before I came down?”

       “Nothing really. She just thanked me for helping you.” She felt Waverly become stiff. “What’s wrong?” She asked, squeezing her hand.

       “Wynonna  . . . told her? She didn’t even _mention_ it to me.” Waverly’s mind was spinning.

       “Oh. Maybe . . . she figured it was still a sensitive topic . . . I don’t know,” Nicole pondered quietly.

       “I don’t know either . . . At least she likes you. If you want me to be honest, she doesn’t like a lot of people, so you should feel honored.” Nicole let out a small laugh. “Netflix?”

       “Sure,” she replied, handing Waverly the remote.

       She clicked on the power button and opened Netflix. “Whatcha want to watch?”

       “You pick. I really don’t care as long as it is not some sleazy rom-com cause then I might barf _all_ over you.”

       “Wow, Haught, we already have something in common,” Waverly said with a smile, tilting her head back to look at her. “Friends, it is.” They clapped along to the theme song and got into a comfortable position. They both figured they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon, nor did they want to. The only place Waverly felt safe was in Nicole’s arms. And all Nicole wanted was for her to be happy, and she would stay there all day long if she needed her to. 

       Halfway through the second episode, Nicole noticed Waverly’s breathing was awful steady. She looked down and saw her eyes were closed. Her heartbeat picked up in fear that she would have another nightmare. She wasn’t going to wake the girl up, though. She needed sleep. Nicole slowly reached down and slid the blanket up towards the girl's shoulders. While in the process of moving her arm out of the way, Waverly’s fingers grabbed her hand and interlocked their fingers. Nicole blushed at her sleeping action. She continued to watch the episode, but before she knew it, she was also drifting to sleep.

       After a few hours, Wynonna came down the stairs with her face in her phone. She placed it on the counter and went over to the fridge, pulling an orange out. She turned around, starting to peel it, but then noticed the beanie on the floor. She walked over to the couch and saw the sleeping girls. She cocked an eyebrow and turned to walk back upstairs, deciding to leave them alone. At least Waverly was sleeping. _Sleeping_. Waverly _sleeping_. _Soundly_. She let out a gasp and tip-toed back over to them, taking a look at the peacefulness on her baby sister’s face. It was the calmest she has seen her since before the attack. She silently walked back upstairs with a smile on her face. Whatever Nicole was doing to her was working. 

       Nicole jolted awake when her phone started ringing in her pocket. “Oh shit,” she mumbled. She hadn’t realized she was asleep.

       She shook the sleeping Waverly awake. “Hmm . . . Oh hi, Nicole.” She sat up, also just realizing she had fallen asleep.

       “Sorry to wake you, but I need to take this,” she said, pointing to her phone.

       “It's ok, go ahead,” she assured with a yawn. Nicole jogged to the bathroom and shut the door.

       “Sorry, Dolls. I lost track of time.”

       “Yea, Haught, ya think? We’ve been waiting for you.”

       “Sorry, sorry. I'll be there soon, I’m leaving the Homestead in a few.”

       “Alright, see you in a bit,” he said, hanging up the phone. Nicole walked back into the living room and grabbed her beanie off the floor.

       “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you . . . literally,” Waverly said with a giggle.

       “No, it's ok. I fell asleep too.” Nicole said with a smile, putting her hat back on, “But, I have to go. I’ve kinda got places to be.”

       “Ok, . . . Thanks for coming to check up on me. I really appreciate it, Nic.” The Officer blushed at the nickname.

       “You’re welcome. I mean, you're pretty fun to hang out with . . . even though we slept most of the time . . . but still.”

       Waverly laughed. “I like hanging out with you, too.” She agreed, face going pink.

       “So . . . Does that mean you can buy me that coffee? We _are_ friends now,” Nicole asked with a smirk, sending those butterflies back into Waverly’s stomach.

       “I guess it does,”  she replied smoothly.

       “Just shoot me a text whenever you’re feeling up to it. See you later, Waves.” Nicole pulled her into a hug.

       “Bye, Nicole,” she said, kissing her on the cheek. They stood there, lost in each other’s eyes for a few seconds before the redhead turned and walked out the door with a shy smile. She got in the car and plugged the address Dolls sent her into her GPS. After texting him that she was on her way, she took off, letting the GPS lead the way.

       20 minutes later, the Deputy pulled up to a raggedy old barn. Wynonna’s truck and Dolls' SUV were parked in front of it. She grabbed her gun and stuck it in the back of her waistband, stepping out of the car. She saw the barn door open and Dolls stepped out, walking over to her.

       “How did you guys find this place?” She asked, looking around.

       “A friend of Doc’s said he could borrow it for a little while,” he replied.

       “Ah.”

       “You got here at a great time. Pretty Boy just came to.”  
       “Oh boy,” she said. For some reason, she was nervous to see him.

       “Let’s go before Doc knocks him out again,” Dolls said with a wink. They walked into the barn.

       It was hot, dark, and smelled like manure. The ground was covered in hay, and the walls were bare. A small light hung from the ceiling over a chair. Champ was tied to it, facing away from the door. Doc was standing against the wall, dressed in blue jean overalls, smoking a cigarette. He tipped his hat at her. She pointed at Champ, and he signaled for her to walk up to him. She slowly made her way up to the back of the chair. Gripping her hands on his shoulders, she dropped her voice to a growl. “Hello Champ.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, another cliffhanger. 
> 
> Next chapter will be up later tonight (I hope) so don't worry. Sorry for pushing Champ scenes off so long. 
> 
> Comment your Ideas, Thoughts, and Corrections below.
> 
> Thanks again for reading :)


	7. Capiche?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole meets Champ. And he knows he has a lot of explaining to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this didn't go up last night. I have standardized testing all this week, so I was pretty tired and fell asleep writing last night, lol.
> 
> Here is the chapter you all have been waiting for. Hope you enjoy! I didn't do as much proofreading this time, either.
> 
> It is pretty short compared to my normal length, but oh well.

       Champ twisted his head around to look at her, jerking around, trying to break free. His face was swollen and bloody and there was a gag of cloth in his mouth. She walked around to the other side of him. He had no shirt on, and his torso was bruised and scratched. She pulled her gun out and traced the barrel up and down his chest, kneeling down in between his legs. He had a look of terror on his face.

       “Do you remember me, Champ?” She asked in a seducing tone. He shook his head, wide-eyed. “No? Oh . . . Haha, right . . . I knocked you out during your little _adventure_ before you could take one look at me!” She bellowed, pushing her gun into the middle of his collarbones and bringing her face closer towards his. “Ya know, men who hurt women where I come from are considered pussies. Are you a _pussy_ , Champ?” she whispered, tilting her head. Her face was so close to his, their noses were almost touching. She stepped back and ripped the gag out of his mouth. 

       “N-no, Ma’am, I’m not,” he stuttered.

       She slowly walked around him and yanked his head back by his hair. He let out a wince. “It is Sheriff's Deputy Haught to you, Champ!” She screamed, looking down at his face. Her mouth curved into an evil smirk. “Or . . . should I call you James?” She let him go and circled back around to the front of him. “That’s right. I know all about you, Bud. I did my research. And how do you think these boys are gonna feel when I fill them in on that _one_ . . . _particular_ . . . _event?_ ” She asked, poking her gun into his chest, harder with each word. “You know what I am talking about, right, James?” Doc and Dolls raised their eyebrows and walked up behind him, crossing their arms. 

       “No! Those charges were dropped! I didn’t do it, I swear!” He stammered. She wacked him with the butt of her gun.

       “So, you are trying to tell me that it is just a _coincidence_ that you have been accused of sexual assault before?! That doesn’t sound very good for you. Especially because last time it was your ex-girlfriend that had just broken up with you! Sounds like a familiar story, doesn’t it boys?” Doc cracked his knuckles, and Dolls loaded his gun, both still standing behind Champ. “Oooh, they don’t look too happy about that. So, why’d you do it, James? What is so special to you about hurting the girls you _apparently_ loved. How is that going to make them want you back?!”

       “I-I don’t know,” he muttered.

       “What was that?” She asked, tilting his head up with her gun.

       “I said I don't know,” he repeated, louder than the previous time.

       “So, it was just for fun? For laughs and giggles?” She grabbed his face with her free hand and yanked it forward, digging her nails into his bloody cheeks. “I don’t think Jessie or Waverly were laughing!” She gritted her teeth and dropped her hand back to her side.

       “I’m sorry, Sheriff's Deputy Haught,” he mumbled.

       “Sorry, my ass!” She screamed, pushing her gun against his nose. “If you were sorry you wouldn’t have done it again!”

       “Why do you people care so much! I didn’t even do anything to her! Nothing that I haven’t done before! We fucked hundreds of times and she had no problem with it! What's so different now!?” He looked genuinely confused about why it was such a big deal.

       Nicole put her foot on the chair in between his legs and slowly started pushing forward, wagging her gun in his face. “Did you not hear her screaming and crying for help? You had her _pinned_ against the wall because she was trying to get away, for fuck’s sake! She obviously didn’t want you to be all up on her like that!” His face was contorting from the gradual pressure she was adding onto his crotch. “Girls are not supposed to be scared shitless from a casual fuck, Hardy, you know that, so do not give me that _crybaby bullshit_!”

       “I think I know what it is,” he scoffed, leaning forward in the chair. “I think you are jealous. Jealous that I can get in her pants and you can’t. You’re obviously a _dyke_. Disgusting.”

       “Is that right?” She asked with a laugh to conceal her inner anger. He spat at her. In one swift move, she kicked him backward in the chair by the crotch and jumped over him, holding the gun to his forehead. He was still trying to catch his breath when she began.

       “You do realize you are the one tied to the chair, right? So your feeble attempts at assaulting me are just doing you more harm than good. I would suggest that if you want to walk out of here with the ability to _produce children_ , you keep your mouth _shut_. Capiche?” Champ nodded his head rapidly. “Great.” Doc and Dolls lifted his chair back up and she stuck her gun back in her waistband. She pulled her sleeves up and threw her beanie on the ground. After running her fingers through her sweaty hair, she placed her hands on his knees.

       “I am gonna ask you this _one_ final time. Do you, _James Hardy_ , understand that what you did wrong?”

       “Yea, sure, I understand,” he said with a sarcastic snark. “Can I leave now?” Her foot nailed his crotch again, this time his chair toppled sideways. His screams of agony filled the barn.

       “I think I am done here, enjoy prison, James, I’ve heard they _love_ to beat up on your kind there,” she said, grabbing her hat and stepping over the chair. Doc and Dolls followed her out. Nicole opened the barn door and stepped into the cool air outside.

       “Well, that was . . . something,” Doc nodded.

       “Sure was,” Dolls agreed.

       “I could tell he doesn’t like it when a woman has power over him, so I kinda used that as an advantage.”

       “You did a damn good job, Officer, he looked like a ghost there for a while,” Doc complimented.

       “Eh, he deserves it. Neither of those girls deserved what he did. Ya’ll need to work on making him so terrified that he doesn’t mention what we did to him when he is in court for this. He could win the case if they find out.”

       “That shouldn’t be too difficult. He is dumber than a sack of potatoes. He believes everything we tell him,” Doc commented.

       “When should we bring him to the station?” Dolls asked.

       “I don't know, maybe tomorrow?” Nicole suggested.

       “Works for me,” Dolls said.

       “Ok, guys, see you tomorrow. I need to get home."

       The boys said their goodbyes and walked back in the barn. Nicole stepped in her car and pulled away. She was proud of herself for keeping it together, but was it that obvious she had a thing for Waverly? She didn’t know or care. She continued back home, figuring out what she should do next. Should she tell Wynonna and Waverly about that Jessie girl? She sighed, for she had no clue.

       When she pulled up to her house, her phone rang. She picked it up and saw it was Wynonna.

       “Hey. What’s up,” she answered.

       “Nicole,” Wynonna stammered, out of breath it seemed.” I need your help. Get here as fast as you can.” She hung up before the redhead could get a word in.

       Nicole made a mad dash inside and changed as quickly as she could. No matter how bad the situation was she was not showing up there looking like that. She ran back out to her car, still pulling her shirt over her head, and sped off, hoping she wouldn’t be too late to whatever was going down at the Homestead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh Ohhhhh. 
> 
> Did you like it? Let me know below :)
> 
> Most likely mistakes. Tell me and I will try to get them fixed right away.


	8. You Sure are a Clever One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole rushes to the Homestead after the frantic call from Wynonna.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy. This week has been crazy. Sorry I haven't posted anything in a bit. 
> 
> I hope this almost 4,000-word chapter pays up for it.
> 
> P.S. It may or may not be just Wayhaught. ;)

       The redheaded officer jumped out of her car as soon as she pulled up. She ran in the door and heard noises coming from upstairs. Taking the stairs two at a time, she plowed into Waverly’s room. She saw her sitting on the floor in the same position she was in after her attack. Wynonna shot up and rushed over to her, grabbing onto her arms.

       “I heard her scream, so I came up and found her like this. She keeps breaking down and then freezing. I don’t know what to do!” She said in a cracky voice.

       “Oh god, ok,” Nicole breathed, looking past Wynonna and at Waverly. She noticed her eyes were locked on something. She followed them up to a picture on her dresser. It was of Champ. She dashed over and pushed it face down, tracing her eyes around the room, trying to see if there were more. She saw polaroids hooked to her wall and pulled the ones with Champ in them down. She grabbed the picture off her dresser and handed it all to Wynonna. “Add these to your burn pile,” she said with a smile. The redhead walked over to Waverly and sat down next to her. Wynonna walked out and shut the door behind her, mouthing a thank you to Nicole.

       They sat silent for a few minutes before Waverly finally spoke after calming down.

       “D-Did you get them all?” She asked.

       “I think so,” Nicole responded quietly, rubbing her hand on her leg.

       “Can you . . . clear my phone of him?” Her head was now leaning on Nicole’s shoulder.

       “Are you sure you want me snooping through all of your pictures?” She asked with a little laugh.

       “I would rather you find something bad than Nonna,” she admitted, looking up at her and tipping her head.

       “That’s fair. But if I find any good ones I am sending them to myself.” She gave Waverly a wink and stood. Waverly did the same, wearing a newly developed blush on her face as she walked towards the door. 

       “It's right there on the nightstand, the passcode's 9895. Go ahead and get started, I’ll be right back with some snacks . . . We might be here for a while.”

       “It is not safe to use your birthday as your passcode, Waves, hackers are everywhere! You know that!” Nicole called out to the brunette who was already halfway down the stairs. Waverly smiled at the fact that she knew her birthday.

       She came back up a few moments later with 2 cans of root beer and a box of Cheeze-its. “Hope you like root beer,” she said, tossing her a can and sitting down on the bed next to her.

       “Damn, Earp, you’re good,” she smiled, popping open the can.

       “I _am_ a bartender, it's  _kinda_ my job,” she chuckled, nudging Nicole with her shoulder.

       “So,” she started, leaning back onto the pillows and crossing her ankles. “Should we start at the beginning or now?”

       “You pick,” Waverly shrugged with a mouthful, picking up the remote and flipping the TV on.

       “Well, I _would_ really like to see some 2012 Waverly right now,” she smirked, scrolling to the bottom of the pictures.

       “Trust me, you _don’t_.” They both laughed. “Shall we watch the episode of Friends we left off on?”

       “Indeed we shall." She took a handful of crackers, clicking on the first picture. It was taken on September 8th, 2011. It featured a younger-looking Waverly taking a group selfie. She assumed it was her Sweet 16 birthday party and she had just gotten a new phone. “Oooo, I think you with braces is my new favorite thing.”

       “Ewwwww no, I hate that pictureeeeee!” Waverly complained, swiping to the next one. It was of a small fluffy brown dog. “Aww, Teddy! I miss him. He died at the beginning of last year. He was my best friend.”

       Nicole's lip pouted. “I’m sorry. He looked like he was a very good boy.”

       “When he wasn’t eating my socks, yea.” The redhead laughed at that. She continued scrolling. It was mostly pictures of Waverly and her friends, selfies, and random pictures of nature. After a little while, she was getting into the summer of 2012. She knew that was around the time when they had started dating. She scrolled onto a picture of Waverly holding a beer bottle. There were people with bottles in the background. It looked like a party of some sort.

       “Ms. Earp, how scandalous! Underaged drinking? I can't believe this!” The Officer teased.

       “Oh boy, that was Jessie Reyes’ Sweet 16. Her parents had to be out of town so they paid up for it by letting her have a few friends over. That few friends turned into over half our grade and a _whole_ lot of alcohol. She got her ass _beat,_ ” Waverly laughed, thinking back of that night. It was the first time she had ever tried alcohol.

       “Sounds like it was a blast . . . Jessie Reyes, huh?” She asked, trying not to sound too suspicious.

       “Yea, you know her?”

       “I don't know, the name just sounds familiar,” she lied, continuing on. It didn’t take too long for her to get to the first picture that featured Champ. They were posing together and he had a trophy in his hand. They were at a rodeo. She quickly deleted it. “I would suggest not glancing over anymore, ok Wave?” She asked calmly, resting her hand on Waverly’s thigh.

       “Ok,” she replied, swallowing hard. She slowly slid her hand under Nicole’s and grabbed it. Nicole looked over at her with a smile before continuing on, only stopping to clap along to the theme song when the next episode started. She had found some every so often with Champ, but they were becoming more frequent as it was nearing their one year anniversary.

       She came across a picture of Waverly in a pool posing on a giant unicorn floatie. She almost spit her drink out. Not only was it amusing to look at, but the view of Waverly wearing a bikini over her toned cheerleader body was also a plus. “I didn’t even know they made these! I now have the urge to ride a unicorn! I’m keeping this one,” she said with a huge smile across her face.

       “You really haven’t seen one of those before?” Waverly asked with a laugh.

       “No!” The redhead exclaimed. She began typing her name in so she could send it to herself. It popped up as “Nicole Haught ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙”.

       She felt her cheeks grow hot. “You sure are a clever one, Waverly Earp,” Nicole said, pointing the phone towards her. 

       “Hey! You’re a cop! I was being funny,” she said in an attempt to explain herself, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks. Nicole gave her a look and picked her phone up off the bed and went to her contacts, finding Waverly’s. She pointed her screen at the brunette. Her contact name was “Waves 🌊 💛”. Waverly's mouth opened the slightest bit, then turned into a smile.

       “Calm your tits,” Nicole smirked, clicking to send the picture to herself. Waverly laid back down and continued watching Friends. Nicole slid her hand back into her's and continued on.

       After an hour, Nicole had deleted almost 200 pictures. She was at the end of 2014. She scrolled onto a picture of Champ standing at a bathroom mirror with a Santa hat on . . . and only a Santa hat. She quickly hit delete and dropped the phone, causing it to fall on the floor. She rubbed her eyes aggressively. “Aghhhh! Nooooo!”

       “What?” Waverly asked, sitting up abruptly.

       “ _Naked Santa Champ_ ,” Nicole muttered, shoving her face in the pillow beneath her.

       “Ohhhh, yea, that was my Christmas present that year. I didn’t want him to get mad at me so I didn’t delete it. Sorry about that,” she grimaced, patting Nicole on the back.

       She flipped back over and let out a sigh. “There is nothing else on there I should have gotten a warning about beforehand, is there?”

       “I don’t think so,” Waverly replied with a guilty smile.

       “Ok, good. Ugh, your phone is on the floor.” Nicole bent down and felt around for it, unable to feel it. “I can’t find it.” She pushed herself back up onto the bed.

       “Let me try,” Waverly suggested, bouncing across the Deputy and plopping down so her stomach was on her chest and her head was hanging off the bed. Nicole let out a loud groan in pain. “Sorry! I think it went under the bed.” She slid her body down so her ass was right in Nicole’s face.

       She let out another groan and smacked the brunette on the ass a few times. “Waverly!!! Hurry up! You are hurting meee!”

       The bedroom door opened. “Hey, I’m ordering takeo-” Wynonna stopped to look at what was happening in front of her. Nicole realized her hand was still on Waverly’s butt, so she moved it down her side and let out a sigh.

       “Uhh, ok, you guys do _that_ , but I am still getting takeout. What do ya’ll want?”

       Waverly shot her hand in the air in front of her, holding her phone. “Found it!” She squealed, struggling to get herself back up on the bed. Nicole rolled her over and grabbed her arms, yanking her back up. They both laughed.

       “Ahem!” Wynonna was still standing at the door.

       “Oh, sorry. I want sweet and sour chicken,” Waverly said. “And steamed broccoli.”

       “Ok, you?” Wynonna asked, looking at Nicole.

       “Uhh, chicken lo mein, please,” she answered with a smile.

       “Mk, got it,” Wynonna replied, turning to leave.

       “Get an order of crab rangoons, too, pleaseeee?” Waverly begged.

       “Already planned on it, Babygirl!” She shouted from the steps. The younger girl let out an excited giggle. “Doc is here by the way!”

       “Ok!” She handed Nicole her phone and unpaused the show.

       “Thank you for breaking all my ribs, I really appreciate it,” Nicole said, looking up at Waverly, holding back a laugh.

       “It’s my pleasure,” she said with a big toothy grin.

       Nicole let out a sigh, shaking her head. “You’re lucky you’re cute,” she mumbled under her breath.

       “Sure am,” Waverly mumbled back. Nicole hadn’t realized she heard her. She glanced up at her, noticing the smile on her face, and continued on with the pictures.

       The redhead was edging towards the middle of 2015 when Wynonna came in carrying a bag of takeout boxes and two more cans of root beer. “Delivery for Haught Dog and Babygirl!” she singsonged, handing her sister the food. Nicole’s eyes rolled back so far, she could almost see her brain.

       “Ooooo, thanks Wynonna,” Waverly replied.

       “You’re welcome,” she said, walking out. She pulled the food out, handing Nicole’s to her.

       “Foooooooooood!” The taller one exclaimed, tapping her fingertips together with a grin. She grabbed a packet of soy sauce and poured it over her noodles. They both began to eat.

       Waverly noticed that Nicole was using chopsticks. “You know how to use those?!” she gasped.

       “Yea . . . you don’t?”

       “No! I never had anyone to teach me,” she shrugged, popping a piece of broccoli in her mouth.

       “Well, _I_ will teach you then.” She picked up the other set that was at the bottom of the bag and placed them properly in her hand. “Use these two fingers to hold this one steady, and use these two to move the top one.” She handed Waverly the chopsticks and placed them properly in her hand.

       “Like this?” She asked.

       “Yea, but don’t cross the ends. Go ahead, see if it works.”

       Waverly held her wrist with her free hand and led it to a piece of chicken. She slowly lifted the top stick and slid them around the chicken. Closing them, she led it to her mouth and threw her hands in the air. “I did it!!” She exclaimed, trying again, but without her other hand holding her hand steady. She was again successful.

       “Now you’re a master. Congrats,” Nicole said with a laugh.

       “I’ve got a question for you,” she prompted as they finished up their food. 

       “Ok, let’s hear it,” Waverly encouraged, turning her body so she was facing her.

       “ _What_ is a smart girl like _you_ doing working at Shorty’s as a _bartender_. I mean, you obviously have the potential for greater things than _that_.”

       She blushed slightly at the compliment. “I don’t really know, to be honest. I guess I just don’t want to leave Purgatory. There no jobs here that offer what I studied.”

       “Which is what?” Nicole asked, snatching a piece of broccoli out of her dish.

       “Ancient Cultures and Languages."

       “Damn, that’s the last thing I would have guessed. Sounds really cool.”

       “Finally! Someone who doesn’t think I am a nerd!”

       “Hey, I never said _that,_ I just said it sounds cool,” the Officer corrected, biting her lip to hold in a laugh.

       “Futue te ipsi,” Waverly said, crossing her arms.

       “Ok, smarty pants, what’s that mean?”

       “Means fuck you in Latin,” Waverly replied, taking a drink to shield her smile.

       “Oooo, good one,” Nicole laughed, scraping the last bit out of her takeout box.

       “Mhm,” she mumbled. She turned and laid back down after she had set her empty containers on the floor next to the bed. “How many more do you have to go?”

       “I am almost halfway through 2015, so not that much,” she confirmed, turning the phone back on. “Damn, it is almost 8 o’clock already.”

       “Really? When did you get here?” Waverly asked.

       “Around 3, I think,” she replied.

       “Oh . . . It doesn’t feel like you have been here that long.”

       “Time flies when you’re having fun,” Nicole smirked. She went back to scrolling.

       “Ughh, it's cold in here,” Waverly complained, pulling a blanket up over her.

       “Hey! I want some!” The older girl yanked half of the blanket onto her side.

       “Noooooooo.” Waverly pulled it back.  

       “Fine. We can do this the hard way,” Nicole huffed. She scooted as close as she could to the brunette and used her hand to roll her onto her side. Grabbing Waverly’s belt loop on the back of her pants, she moved her into the right position, now spooning her. Nicole pulled the blanket back over her and rested her arm on her shoulder so she could still see the phone. “Hmmph!”

       Waverly’s eyes were as wide as could be. She hadn’t expected it but was not opposed to it. Who would be? Having the hot redhead pressed against her sounded like a dream, and it was _actually_ happening. “Fine,” she snarked, trying to hide the excitement in her voice.

       About 45 minutes later, Nicole finally finished going through Waverly’s phone. She had even deleted the pictures of him that were posted on her Instagram. She slid her arm down the front of Waverly’s body and dropped her phone in front of her. “All done.” She moved her arm down so her hand was on her stomach.

       “Thank you," she mumbled. "It really means a lot that you took the time to do that for me." She placed her hand on Nicole’s.

       “I told you I’d always be there to help you, Waves. No need to thank me.”

       “Still, usually no one is this nice to me.”

       “Well, they're the ones missing out. Remember that.”

       “Haha, yea, I guess you’re right.”

       “What time is it?” Nicole asked, peering over Waverly’s shoulder. She picked her phone up, the screen reading 8:35. She let out a groan, flipping back to her back. “I should probably get going, I have to be at work at 4 tomorrow morning.”

       “Ew, that is way too early for me,” Waverly said, flipping to her back, as well.

       “Yea, me too, but I have to or Nedley will be up my ass,” she grumbled, rubbing her hands up and down her face.

       “I’m sorry,” Waverly said, rolling her head to look at her.

       “It’s all worth it. I couldn’t ask for a better job. Maybe a better uniform, though. I hate khakis with _a_ _passion_.”

       “Ha,” she teased.

       “So . . . Do you think you are gonna be ok tonight?” Nicole asked, turning on her side so she was facing her.

       “I don't know . . . I haven’t figured out how to stop the nightmares yet,” she mumbled, furrowing her brow.

       “Maybe you could try to fall asleep thinking of something that makes you happy . . . Like a place or event, I don't know.”

       Waverly sat there for a second silently. She was trying to think of something she could imagine. All kinds of ideas flashed through her mind, but none of them sounded right.

       Suddenly, it hit her.

       She remembered how she had fallen asleep on Nicole earlier with no problems. And that she had fallen asleep the previous night fine thinking about her.

       She turned onto her side and looked right into the redhead's eyes. “Nicole,” she said, placing her hand on her cheek. “You are my happy place.”

       The redhead was shocked by that response. She was honored, but what did it mean? That she really enjoyed spending time with her? They had only known each other for a few days, though. She finally managed to stutter out, “I-I am?” with a confused grin on her face.

       “Earlier today was the soundest I have slept in months. And every time I am with you, I barely think about him. I don’t know why, but everything about you is . . . is perfect.”

       “Thank you? Or maybe you’re welcome? I really don’t know what to say to that.”

       “Well . . . maybe you shouldn’t say anything at all.” Nicole cocked an eyebrow, but they shot right up when she felt Waverly’s lips against hers, giving a soft, but deep, kiss. She began to kiss back, pulling Waverly closer with her hand on her waist. She slid her other hand under her and pulled her onto of her lap, sliding her hands up her back. After a few more glorious seconds, she pushed her back slightly. It all came together in her mind of what was happening.

       “What happened to friends?” She asked, slightly out of breath.

       “I decided that if I wanted to properly get over him, I would need something important to occupy my mind. And that something is you. I’m not trying to say that I'm using you because I am totally not. That’s not what I mean, um . . . I'm just saying . . . I really, really like you, more than I have ever liked anyone before. And just because something terrible happened to me last night does not mean I am going to let it get in between this . . . Did that make sense at all . . . I feel like I am making no-,”

       “Yes, you are making perfect sense, Waves,” Nicole assured, sticking her thumbs under the bottom of her shirt and rubbing them softly on her hips, trying to calm her down.

       “Ok, good,” Waverly breathed with a smile. She leaned down quickly and pulled Nicole into another searing kiss. Nicole grabbed her waist and sat up, pushing her legs behind her back and rolling them over so she was on top. She leaned closer and closer into the curve of Waverly’s body with every kiss. She bit the smaller girl’s bottom lip causing a small moan to escape from her mouth. Waverly began to stick her hands up Nicole’s shirt, but the taller girl reluctantly pulled back again.

       “Ok, not that I didn’t enjoy that because trust me, _I did_. But I just don’t want to take anything too fast right now. Whether you want to admit it or not, your life was changed for forever last night. And it is going to take some time to get over it. But I will be _right_ _here_ with you no matter _what_ happens. I just don’t want to push you too far too fast, ok? . . . And I feel like if we don’t stop now, we never will, and I really need to go so I am not late for work in the morning. I’m sorry.”

       “No, Nic, I get it,” Waverly assured, sitting up and resting her hand on Nicole’s thigh. “You care about me. And I am 100% ok with that because not a lot of people do. So thank you.”

       Nicole gave her a kind smile, pushing herself up off the bed. She put her shoes on and Waverly walked over to her. “Thanks again for coming over when Wynonna called you. And for clearing my phone. It really means a lot to me.”

       “Really, it's no problem, Waves. You don’t have to keep thanking me . . . _Well_ , at least not with words," she smirked.

       Waverly stood up on her toes, giving her a short kiss, then pulling her into a hug. “I’ll walk you down,” she said, pulling out of the hug. “Wait!”

       “What?” Nicole asked, frantically looking around the room.

       “Chill, you just have lipstick on your face. Come here.” She licked her finger and began rubbing it around her lips where some pink smudges were.

       “I wonder how that got there?” She questioned, exiting the room.

       “I have no clue,” the brunette replied with a laugh. They both stopped at the bottom of the steps with disgusted looks on their faces when they saw Doc and Wynonna having a hot and heavy makeout session on the couch.

       “You get used to it after a while,” Waverly sighed quietly. “Ahem!”

       Doc jumped off Wynonna into a standing position. “Uhh, hello there, Ms. Waverly. Officer Haught.” He reached to tip his hat, which was not on his head, but on Wynonna’s.

       “Hi, Doc.” They said in unison.

       “Nicole was just leaving,” Waverly said, nudging her towards the door.

       “Bye, you two, thanks for dinner!” She shouted before Waverly could close the door behind them. They walked to the cruiser and Nicole climbed in. “Thanks for having me for so long today. I really had a good time.”

       “Me, too,” Waverly agreed. She leaned in and gave her a quick peck.

       “Sleep well, Waves. Goodnight.”

       “Goodnight, Officer Haught.” She gave her a wink and shut the car door. She turned and headed for the door, turning back around when she got to the porch. Nicole was almost out the driveway. She smiled with a happy sigh and went inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JFDUWHDHWDHWDH 
> 
> ITS OFFICIALLY WAYHAUGHT SEASON MY DUDES
> 
> This chapter took me all evening to write so I really hope you guys like it.
> 
> Do you see why I changed the title now. See I do plan ahead. I have had this idea in my head for a few days now.
> 
> Thoughts, Ideas, and Corrections always welcome :)


	9. Is it That Obvious?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly leaves the house for the first time to return something to Nicole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a delay, guys. I have been really sick, so I have been sleeping a lot. I wrote here and there whenever I felt up to it. I'm feeling better now, so I finished it up tonight. 
> 
> Hope ya'll enjoy this chapter, nonetheless. :)

       Waverly walked over to her sister, who now had a shirt on and was drinking out of whiskey bottle. “So,” Wynonna started. “You and Red have a good time today?”

       “Yea. We did,” she confirmed with a nod.

       “Good,” she smiled. “She's good for you, Waves. You need someone to lean on that isn’t _just_ me.”

       Waverly gave her sister a hug. “I definitely know I can lean on her,” Waverly said with a guilty smirk on her face. She pulled away from the hug. “Thanks for everything, Nonna.”

       “Of course, Babygirl. Are you gonna be ok by yourself tonight? I have a man that has . . . a problem and . . . I am the solution.”

       “Yea, I think I will.” Waverly turned and walked back up to her room. She picked up the empty take out boxes and soda cans, bringing it all downstairs and throwing it away. She walked back upstairs and noticed Nicole’s hat that she had given her the night before sitting on the chair. “Crap,” she muttered, picking it up. She had planned on giving it back to her the next time she saw her, but had forgotten to tonight. She decided she would drive up to the station tomorrow and give it to her. She smiled at the thought of seeing her again so soon. The younger Earp changed into her nightclothes and got into bed, clutching the hat to her chest.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly was startled awake for the third time by a nightmare. She checked her phone. It was a little before 6 A.M. She whimpered and sat up, wiping the tears off her face. She had somehow kicked all her blankets on the floor so she was freezing. She grabbed her unicorn onesie and headed downstairs. A warm shower would for sure calm her down.

       After she got out, she walked into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. She then watered her cactus, Charlie. The couch seemed to be calling her name, so she walked over and laid down on it, turning the tv on and opening up her phone. She was on Instagram for a little while but got bored after an hour or so. After a few minutes of contemplating what she should do to entertain herself, she remembered that she was supposed to give Nicole’s hat back to her. She leaped off the couch and ran up the stairs, crashing into Wynonna.

       “Jesus Christ, Waves! Where’s the fire?” Wynonna complained, rubbing her shoulder.

       “Sorry, Nonna, I just have . . . places to be.”

       “Which is where?”

       “The station. Nicole left something here and I am going to go deliver it to her,” she replied with a smile as she ran the rest of the way up the stairs.

       She got dressed and grabbed the hat, heading back downstairs. She saw Doc pushing the button on the blender with a mischevious look on his face. “Hey Doc,” she said slowly, leaning on the counter. “What're you doing?”

       “I am still learning about all the gizmos and gadgets of this age. This one is . . . quite different,” he mused, pushing the button again.

       “It's called a blender . . . It blends things.”

       “Is that so?”

       “Yea, here, I will show you.” She grabbed a banana, the milk, and some ice cream, placing it all in the blender, making the gunslinger a banana milkshake. She poured it into a cup and placed a straw into it, handing it to him.

       He cocked his eyebrow at her, taking a sip. A smile formed on his face. “I think I like blenders,” he said, walking upstairs with the milkshake.  

       “See ya later, Doc.” She rolled her eyes and gathered her things, heading outside to her Jeep. This was the first time she left the house since the attack. She pulled out of the driveway, trying to find a good song on the radio.

 

**___**

 

       Nicole sat in her office, munching on an apple and going through the ginormous stack of paperwork on her desk. She had only been at work for 3 hours and was already _exhausted_. She groaned at the knock on her door. “Lonnie, I swear if you are here to give me more paperwork, I will _shove_ this apple core up yo-” She stopped when she saw Waverly leaning against the doorframe with a smile hiding her laughter. She stood up quickly. “Oh my . . . I’m sorry, I thought you-”

       She was cut off when Waverly started talking. “Rough day already, huh?” She walked over to her with a sway in her hips.

       “Is it that obvious?” She replied with a smile, leaning back on the edge of her desk.

       “I, uh, came to give this back,” she said, handing her the Stetson.

       “Keep it. I have, like, 4 other ones.” She placed it on the smaller girl’s head.

       “Really!” She gasped. Nicole nodded her head. She wrapped her arms around the Officer tightly. The redhead let out a groan. “I wanna go talk to Nedley. I haven’t seen him in a while,” she smiled, starting for the door.

       “At least take the hat off,” she sighed, pushing herself off the desk, following the brunette.

       “Hi, Sheriff!” She squealed, plopping down in the chair in front of his desk.

       “Hello, Waverly. How are you?” He asked, looking up from his computer, slightly eyeing the hat.

       “I’m good, how are you?” She replied.

       “Pretty good. Sure am keeping myself busy with all this paperwork though. We've had an increase of crimes lately,” he said with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

       “Why's that?” She questioned. The Deputy came up behind her, placing her hands on the back of her chair, thumbs brushing her shoulders.

       “Bobo Del Rey and his knuckleheads are gaining more power, causing trouble everywhere,” he responded. 

       “And we have nothing to arrest him on,” Nicole added.

       “How is he just allowed to give out those orders and have no consequence?” Waverly asked.

       “We _technically_ have no physical evidence that he ordered them to do anything,” Nicole sighed, sitting down in the other chair and leaning forward, resting her forearms on her knees. 

       A small sigh almost left Waverly's lips as she looked over at her. How she looked so good with her sleeves rolled up, she didn't know. “Well, that’s stupid,” she mumbled, crossing her arms.

       “Sure is,” Nedley concluded. “Sorry to cut this meeting short, but I _really_ do have a lot of work to do . . . It was nice seeing you again, Ms. Earp.” He gave her a kind smile.

       “You, too, Sheriff.” Waverly and Officer Haught walked out. Waverly stopped in the pit with an angry look on her face and Nicole cautiously walked over to her.

       “What?” She asked slowly. 

       “Bobo shouldn’t get away with all of this stuff! He is the _biggest_ problem in this town. You seriously have _nothing_ on him?” 

       “Unfortunately, no. But we are getting closer and closer every day,” she ensured, touching her arm.

       “Ugh, it's just not fa-” Waverly froze. The angered look on her face was now one of fear.

       Nicole placed her both hands on her arms, shaking her slightly. “Waves? what’s wrong?” She asked, noticing Waverly wasn’t looking _at_ her, but _past_ her. She turned and froze herself. “Oh shit,” she mumbled. Standing at the entrance of the station was Doc and Dolls, holding up Champ. All five of them were frozen staring at each other. Nicole made the first move. She grabbed Waverly by the hand and drug her back into Nedley’s office. She sat her on the floor and shut all the blinds. “Keep her in here until I come back. He’s here.” She looked up at Nedley who was now standing, completely alert.

       “Oh good lord,” he sighed, walking over to Waverly.

       “Hey,” she said quietly, kneeling down and placing her hands on her cheeks, “I will be as quick as I can, ok, Waves?” Waverly moved her eyes from the wall to Nicole’s eyes. She tried to speak, but nothing came out, so she just nodded. Nicole gave her a kiss on the forehead and stood quickly, slipping out of the door, glancing at Nedley. She jogged to the door where the men were still standing.

       “What the hell, Haught?! I thought _bring him tomorrow_ meant you were going to make sure _she_ was _not_ here,” Dolls exclaimed.

       “I didn’t know she was going to be here! Did you not see her big red jeep outside?!” The Officer retorted.

       “Cmon, Haught, keep track of your little girlfriend,” Champ commented.

       She inched closer to his face, causing his swollen eyes to widen. “Did I ask for your input?” She growled deeply, clenching her jaw.

       “N-no, ma’am.”

       “I didn’t think so,” she replied in the same tone before clocking him in the head, knocking him out. Doc and Dolls stumbled under the sudden change in weight of the man they were holding up. “Get him in a cell,” Nicole ordered, removing her Stetson and sliding her hand down her braided hair. They drug him to the back, and Nicole rushed back to Nedley’s office, rubbing her now swollen fist. She slid back in the door. Waverly’s head was resting on Nedley’s shoulder and his hand was softly placed on her knee. “Ok, he’s in the back. It's my fault. I totally forgot I told them to bring him back today.” She realized she had just revealed she knew where he was to her boss. “I mean, uh . . .”

       “Haught,” he said, standing up and offering his hand to Waverly to help her up. “I’m sure he was getting what he deserved.” He clapped his Deputy's shoulder and walked out, giving her a nod.

       She rushed to Waverly’s and pulled her into her arms. “I am _so_ sorry, Baby,” she whispered.

       “You knew where he was the whole time?” She asked, looking up at her with a tear-stained face.

       “Yea, Doc and Dolls were holding him. That’s where I went yesterday morning. I should have told you what was going on. I’m sorry,” she choked out, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.

       “It's ok," she soothed, running her hand down her face. "I know why you didn’t.”

       “Still. You had a right to know.” She couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears started rolling down her cheeks. She felt like a failure.

       “Shhhh, you were protecting me, Nic. I'm not mad at you,” she said softly. She wiped the redhead's face and looked into her eyes, removing her hat. Nicole pushed her forehead against Waverly’s. “I'm ok, I promise. I just wasn’t expecting to see him, so it freaked me out for a minute.”

       “If you say so,” Nicole mumbled. Waverly smiled and pulled her into a gentle kiss.

       “Babygirl, are you-” Wynonna poked her head in the door. The girls pulled away from each other, hearts skipping a beat. “Making out with Haught Pants . . .” She finished in a breathy voice, blinking her eyes rapidly. “I’m just . . .” She gestured with her thumb, pointing out of the office. “Yeah.” She slipped her head back out the door and shut it.

       Nicole looked back at the brunette, wide-eyed. “Waverly . . .” That was all she managed to get out before she was pulled into a rough kiss. Waverly walked them to Nedley’s couch without breaking the kiss. She pushed Nicole down and crawled on top of her, using one hand to stabilize herself on the armrest and the other to pull the Officer's head closer to hers. Nicole let out some breathy moans in between each kiss. She pushed herself up from the couch, grabbing onto Waverly’s back with one arm, and used the other to walk her back so she was on top. She flashed a cocky smile at a now seduced brunette and went in for more kisses, pushing herself in between the smaller girl’s legs. 

       “Someone likes to be on top,” Waverly murmured as Nicole rolled her bottom lip down with her thumb.

       “Mmm, glad you noticed,” she smirked, pulling the brunette’s head closer to hers again. Waverly draped her arms around the back of the Officer’s neck and sunk deeper into the couch. Nicole lengthened each kiss, starting to grind her body into the smaller girl.

       “Fuck,” Waverly moaned under her breath. The taller one let out a chuckle and left a trail of kisses down her cheek, all the way to the pulse point on her neck, starting with kisses and ending with sucking. “ _Nicole_ ,” she moaned, maybe a little too loud, digging her nails into her back. Nicole smirked and moved back up to her lips. She slid her hand down her waist and to her ass, giving it a firm squeeze. Waverly pushed her back, both breathing heavy. "We are not going _any_ further on your boss' _couch_ , Nic,” she panted.

       “Aw, but why?” The redhead whined, kissing her neck some more, getting one more moan to escape her lips.

       “We already had my sister walk in on us,” she laughed. 

       “Ugh, fineee,” Nicole sighed, sitting up. She stood and fixed her uniform, untucking and re-tucking her shirt in. Waverly checked her hair in the glare of the picture on the wall, trying to smooth it out. Nicole walked over to where they were sitting before and picked her hat up off the ground, placing it back on her head.

       “Thank you for your _service_ , Officer Haught,” Waverly said with a wink.

       “I was only doing my job, Ma’am,” she drawled back, pulling her in for one last kiss.

       Waverly arched her body into the redhead’s and rubbed her hands down her sides, feeling every little curve of her toned body. She pulled back after a few more seconds. “And a very good one at that,” she smirked, opening the door. Nicole exited first, giving Waverly the chance to smack her ass, almost making the Officer yelp.

       She turned to her with a small grin on her face. “Look upset,” she muttered through her teeth. Waverly’s face changed from happy to sad and she walked closer to Nicole, allowing her to put her arm over the smaller one’s shoulders. They walked into the break room where everyone was sitting.

       Doc stood quickly, walking up to Waverly. “I am terribly sorry, Waverly. I had no intention in scaring you like that,” he apologized, taking her hands.

       “It's ok. I know you guys didn’t mean to. It was just pure chance that I happened to be standing right there,” she assured. Doc tipped his hat and sat back down. She shifted her eyes to Wynonna, who was glaring at Nicole. She looked up at the redhead, whose face had fear written all over it.

       “May I speak to you, Haught?” Wynonna asked, more  _demanded_ in a low voice. “ _Privately_.”

       Nicole stood there for a few seconds before finally getting out, “S-sure.” She was not sure what had scared her more. The tone Wynonna used, or the fact that she used her actual last name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angry Wynonna is never a good sign. What is she planning on saying to Nicole?
> 
> Hope you liked it! :)
> 
> Thoughts, Ideas, and Corrections always welcome.


	10. You Should See Yours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wynonna and Haught have a little chit-chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dang. 10 chapters already? Seems like I started this yesterday. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this one.
> 
> Sorry that it took so long again. I wrote the whole thing once but didn't like it so I rewrote it.

       “Wynonna, don’t,” Waverly pleaded.

       Her sister ignored her. She grabbed the Officer's arm and dragged her into the BBD office, shoving her to the ground, making her smack her head against the floor, stunning her for a few seconds. Waverly let out a gasp and covered her mouth, watching it happen through the still-open door. Wynonna slammed it and jumped on top of Haught, holding her down with her hands pressed firmly on her shoulders. “What the _fuck_ is your problem?! If you think you can take advantage of my baby sister while she is in a horrible mental state, you obviously don’t know what I am capable of!” Wynonna screamed at her, pulling out Peacemaker and holding it against her head. “At least you’re not a Revenant,” she mumbled to herself, smacking her with the barrel of the gun.

       Nicole let out a grunt and flipped them over, holding Wynonna down and sliding Peacemaker across the ground. She gave her a good knock across the nose with her still aching hand. “And if you think that I would ever do such a thing, you obviously have never met me!” She screamed back.

       Wynonna shook her head and flipped them back over, pushing her neck down with one hand and swinging, hitting her lip, with the other. “Really? Then what did I just walk in on?!” She swung again, nailing her on the cheek right below her right eye. The strong Officer pushed her forward and slammed her back into the ground so she was now on top once again.

       “Obviously not what you thought it was!” She punched her in the jaw, switching hands and punching the other side. “She came onto _me_ , Wynonna. She already liked me before the whole Champ thing,” she said in a much softer tone, letting go of the older Earp’s shirt, standing and walking away. “I would _never_ hurt her like that.” She faced her again, wiping her bloody lip. “ _Never_.”

       Wynonna placed a hand on her forehead, finally piecing it all together. “Ohhh . . . so you’re the crush,” she breathed. Her attitude had totally changed.

       “What?” Nicole asked, rubbing her back of her head where there was a lump.

       “She told me that she was breaking up with him and I teased that she had a crush, and she didn’t deny it so just figured . . . Oh God, Babygirl has the hots for Haught,” she said, wide-eyed.

       “Seems so,” Nicole sighed. “Wynonna, I already told her I wasn’t planning on moving any further with anything until she gets better.”

       “Good,” the brunette nodded, standing and slowly stalking towards the Officer, grabbing her by the collar. “ _Because if you hurt her in any way, shape, or form, I will hunt you down and leave you worse than they left that dumbfuck in there_.”

       “I have no intention to,” the redhead replied with a touch of annoyance, tilting her head and raising her eyebrows, pushing Wynonna’s hands off her.

       “Well, I’m glad we are on the same page,” Wynonna smiled, smacking her back. “Hey, uh, I never really got a chance to thank you for coming over yesterday to help her. So thanks. And . . . Sorry 'bout your face.” She gave Nicole a thoughtful smile and waved her out the door. They walked back to the break room.

       “You should see yours,” Haught mumbled with a laugh. Waverly jumped up with a horrified look in her eyes, looking at Nicole’s now bruising eye and bloody lip. And then to Wynonna’s bloody nose and swollen chin.

       “ _What the hell, Wynonna_?!” Waverly hissed, stomping up to her.

       “Waves . . .” Nicole muttered through her teeth.

       “We were just getting to know each other,” Wynonna said, smiling at Waverly and flicking the Officer on the temple. Nicole nodded, elbowing her back. She stepped in between the sisters, giving Waverly a look signaling that she was ok. The Officer then pushed her away from Wynonna gently with her hand against her stomach.

       Everyone in the room looked completely confused. Nicole let out a sigh. “Well. I better get back to work.” She turned and left, walking towards her office. When she walked in, she left the door open, knowing Waverly would be in there soon enough. And she was right, for when she sat down, Waverly rushed in, closing it behind her.

       She knelt down in front of her and placed her hands on her cheeks, turning her head in her hands to examine her. “Oh my God, what happened in there?” She brushed her thumb over her now swelling lip, making Nicole wince.  

       “Nothing really, she just thought I was taking advantage of you,” she said softly.

       Waverly grabbed her chin roughly, squeezing her cheeks. “You call _this_ nothing!? And all that screaming was just for fun?!”

       “She calmed down after a minute or two, Waves. And yes, I consider this nothing. I’ve had worse.” She looked away for a second, then back to her, who had let go of her face. “It just scared her. She wasn’t expecting it.”

       “That is no excuse for hurting you,” the brunette defended, voice dropping at the end. “And what do you mean _taking advantage of me?_ ”

       “She thought I was using your . . . _situation_ to try and get in your pants or something like that, I don’t really know.”

       “Why does she think you would do that?” Waverly asked, pulling herself up onto the older girl's lap. The Officer wrapped a protective arm around her, moving her legs over the armrest of the chair.  

       “She did kinda catch you kissing . . . _a girl_ ,” the redhead pointed out quietly.

       “Oh, right . . . I forgot about that part,” she whispered, laying her head against her shoulder, fingers hooking around the opening in the space between one button and another on her uniform. “What’d she say about that?”

       “ _Babygirl has the hots for Haught_ ,” she mocked in her best Wynonna impression.

       Waverly laughed. “Well, at least she is fine with it and you're ok, that’s all I care about.” She pulled Nicole in for a very gentle kiss, then snuggled herself into her shoulder again. “Can I stay here. Please?” She begged, giving her puppy dog eyes.

       “If you don’t distract me,” she answered with a sly smile. Waverly let out a happy sigh and gave her a peck on the cheek. Nicole scooted her chair up and went back to paperwork. Waverly sat there quietly, watching her write, eventually drifting off to sleep once again in the Officer’s arms.

       After a while, Nicole had not known how long, for she was so focused, she heard a knock at the door. It opened and Wynonna popped her head in. “Hey, Haught, you wanna-” She stopped when the redhead pushed her finger against her lips and signaled to the sleeping Waverly. Wynonna dropped her voice to a whisper. “Oh, sorry. Shorty’s tonight? I'm buyin'.” Nicole nodded with a small smile. “Ok, see you there. 8 o’clock.” She gave her a thumbs up and the woman popped back out the door.

       The Deputy sat there for a few seconds, reaching up to rub her eyes. She winced when she felt the sting of pain, remembering what had happened earlier. This pain also brought her attention to the headache she now had. She figured someone had some medicine out there somewhere. She went to get up, remembering Waverly. She sighed and slowly moved her arm under her legs and behind her back. She stood and carefully set her down on the small couch in the corner of her office.

       Waverly shifted, causing the Officer’s eyes to widen in fear that she had accidentally woken her up. But she didn’t wake up. She just curled her legs up and wrapped her arms around herself. Haught let out a sigh of relief, walking over to the coat rack and grabbing her oversized police academy hoodie. She gently laid it across her and silently walked out of her office towards the bathroom.

       She gasped when she looked at herself in the mirror, seeing the extent of her injuries for the first time. Her whole chin up to her top lip was swollen and purple, and there was a scabbing gash down the left side of her bottom lip, leaving dried blood smeared down her chin and cheek. The area around her eye was reddish-purple and swollen, and you could almost see it throbbing from above the skin. Grabbing a paper towel, she wet it and dabbed it along the bottom of her face, removing the blood. She somehow made her lip start bleeding again in the process. “Ugh, stop,” she groaned, applying pressure to it.

       She got it to stop eventually and decided to take her hair down, hoping it would ease her headache. She could care less if she was breaking protocol at this point. She undid her hair from the tight braid and tried to smooth it down with her hand. She walked out of the bathroom and knocked on the BBD door.

       “Enter!” Dolls called from the inside after a few seconds.

       Officer Haught opened the door and stepped in. “Do any of you have Tylenol, by any chance?”

       “There should be some in this medicine cabinet,” he replied, standing and walking over to it. Haught followed. “Here ya go.” He handed her the bottle.

       “Thanks,” she mumbled, walking towards the door.

       “Haught,” Dolls called.

       Nicole turned around. “Yea?” She asked, rubbing the back of her head.

       “I need to talk to you about some work-related things. Tomorrow morning?”

       “Yea, that works.” She walked out with a nod, wondering what he needed to talk about. Was it about Bobo? Or maybe about the _classified work_ they were always working on? She didn’t know. But what she _was_ sure of one thing: her head was hurting like a bitch.

       She walked into her office, finding Waverly sound asleep on the couch still. Nicole walked to her desk and gulped down a handful of pills. She checked her phone. It was almost 2 PM and she was had to go and radar cars then. She didn’t want to have to wake her up, but she wasn’t going to leave her there all day. She hesitantly walked over to the couch and knelt down next to her. Placing her hand on her shoulder, she gently shook her, whispering her name. After a few seconds, Waverly groaned a complaint and flipped over, pulling the hoodie up to her face. She realized where she was and that this article of clothing smelled just like Nicole.

       “Hey, Sleepyhead, it's time to get up or your gonna get locked in here,” Nicole said sweetly.

       Waverly rolled back over with a sleepy smile.

       “Mine,” she mumbled, holding the hoodie tightly in her arms. There was no way she was giving it back.  

       “Ok, yea, you can have that, too. But you still have to get up, Wave. I have to go on patrol in a few minutes.”

       Waverly groaned, opening her eyes. She gasped and sat up, staring right at Nicole. “Oh, your poor face! I am so sorry.” She pulled Nicole into a hug.

       “Waves, it's fine. I'll be ok.” Nicole stood, holding her hand out for her. “C’mon, I'll drop you off at the Homestead.”

       She took her hand and stood, stretching for a second. “Ok,” she yawned.

       “You sure do sleep a lot,” Nicole chuckled.

       “I think you are just comfortable . . . Wait, how did I get there?” She asked, suddenly very confused.

       “I had to go get some meds for my headache and I didn’t want to wake you.”

       Waverly still looked confused. “Sooo, how did I get there?” She asked again.

       “I . . . moved you . . . picked you up and moved you so I could get up,” Nicole answered, trying to hide her laughter.

       “Ohhh, ok, that makes sense now.” Her face flushed with embarrassment as she looked down at her feet.

       “Waves, you just woke up. I don’t think your brain is fully working yet.” Nicole said with a smile, placing her hand on her hip, using the other to tilt her chin up.

       “Mmm, maybe you can help me with that,” She smirked, pulling her into a gentle kiss. The redhead moved closer to her, slowly sliding her hands down to her ass and giving it a squeeze. Waverly smiled into the next kiss, moving her hand to Nicole’s cheek. Nicole pulled back and winced. “Oh my God, I forgot! I’m-”

       “It's ok, Waves, it’s ok. Really,” The Officer interrupted. “That might have just saved me from getting yelled for leaving late, let’s get going.” She gave her a sincere smile and grabbed her hand.

       “Wait,” Waverly said, dashing to the couch. She picked up the hoodie and hat and put them on, rushing back to Nicole. They walked out of the station together and got in Nicole’s cruiser.

       “Why are you guys so worried about speeders when you have _Bobo_ to deal with?” Waverly asked. She hated Bobo, it didn’t matter that he had protected her so many times. She knew the things he did and the kinds of people he socialized himself with.

       “Nedley has to log a certain amount of patrol hours a month or something like that,” Nicole responded, obviously annoyed at the fact.

       “Oh,” Waverly replied. Nicole started the cruiser and pulled out of the station’s parking lot, holding Waverly’s hand. The brunette felt a slight difference. She looked down and noticed the obvious bruising and swelling of her knuckles. “Dang, how hard did you hit her?” She asked, bringing her hand closer to her face.

       “Pretty hard,” she said with a cocky smirk. She brought her and Waverly’s hand back down to the armrest. “That’s not just from her, though,” she mumbled.

       “You hit him today!? That looks like all recent bruising,” Waverly exclaimed. Her expression changed. “ _Why_?”  She knew Nicole wouldn’t have hit him for no reason.

       “He was just, uh . . . being a jerk,” she shrugged, glancing at Waverly.

       “What’d he say to you, Nic?”

       “No-nothing, you don’t need to worry about it, Waves. He is the _last thing_ you need to be thinking about right now.”

       “Nico-”

       “Waverly.” She had a stern tone. “Don’t worry about it, ok?” She calmed it down at the end.

       Waverly pulled her hand away, crossing her arms and looking out the window. “Fine.” She said quietly. Nicole pursed her lips. She hadn’t meant to make her mad, she just didn’t want her to worry about it. She shouldn’t have even said anything in the first place. After a minute or two, the Deputy placed her hand on her leg.

       “I’m sorry for snapping at you like that,” she apologized. Waverly looked at her with soft eyes for a second, but quickly back out the window.

       “It's ok,” she replied. She was sincere with her response, even though she tried her best to make it sound as emotionless as possible. Nicole rubbed her thumb up and down, hoping to release some tension between them.

       A few minutes later, she pulled into the Homestead. She got out and opened Waverly’s door for her, giving her a sorry smile. Waverly stepped out, grabbing her things.

       “Thanks for the ride,” she said quietly. “Have a good afternoon.” She gave Nicole a peck and made her way into the house.

       “Great. Now I’ve made 2 Earps mad,” she grumbled, climbing back into the car. She blew some air out and pulled out the driveway.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh. A little WayHaught angst. 
> 
> Did you guys like this one? 
> 
> Fun Fact, the first time I wrote it, Wynonna and Haught didn't hurt each other. I thought it was kinda bland, so I added a little more fun to it. 
> 
> Ya'll should know the comment drill by now. I don't think I proofread very well.
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)


	11. Ewwwww

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wynonna and Nicole hang out and have a little fun together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Guys! 
> 
> Hope you guys like this chapter because I had fun writing it. 
> 
> Most likely will be not the best quality I have written in because I am lowkey exhausted at the moment, but it's ok. 
> 
> Enjoy!! :D

       Officer Haught pulled up to Shorty’s at 7:55. She wasn’t _excited_ to be hanging out with Wynonna, but she _was_ happy to get a drink or two. She stepped out of her car, smoothing out the wrinkles on her lavender button-down and rolled the sleeves up, walking inside. It was fairly empty, only about 10-15 people there, so she easily spotted Wynonna filling her glass with more whiskey while the bartender wasn’t looking.

       She walked up to her shaking her head. “Hey, Earp,” she greeted, sitting down on the stool.

       “Haughty! Lookin' good. Not for long, though. We're having some fun tonight. If you’re gonna be with my baby sister, I need to get to know ya, and this is how I do it."

       Nicole hadn’t planned on drinking a lot tonight. And she didn’t consider herself _with_ Waverly, but she didn’t want to argue about that. “Umm, I have to work tomorrow."

       “Yea, so do I. Your point is?”

       Nicole thought about it for a second before shrugging. “That’s fair. Hey, I need 4 tequila shots and a beer!” She hollered at the bartender, patting her hand on the bar. The bartender came over, delivering their drinks 

       “I like how you think, Dimples,” Wynonna smirked, downing her shot, making a face. Nicole mumbled an agreement and did the same, washing it down with a swig of beer. She took her other, shaking her head around after.

       Wynonna cocked an eyebrow and did the same. “2 more, Ricky!” She called. They downed their last shots.

       “Pool? The table's open."

       “Alright. Winner's buying tonight, deal?”

       “Deal.” She shook Wynonna’s outstretched hand and they walked over to the table. Nicole set her beer down on the ledge and grabbed a stick off of the holder. “You can break.” She leaned against the wall as Wynonna lined up her shot.

       “So . . .” She fired, knocking a striped ball into the left pocket. “How d'you end up in the Ghost River Triangle?” She shot again, missing this time.

       Nicole pushed off the wall and walked over to the table. “I don't really know, to be honest. I just kind of felt drawn here my whole life. A friend of my mom’s lived up here when I was little so we visited sometimes, and I always loved it.” She took her shot and was successful. “I left my old job because I hated it there and as I was looking for an open position in the area, a spot here had just opened up so _obviously_ I applied, and within 2 days I had the job.” She missed her second shot, scratching the white ball.

       “Ha ha,” Wynonna teased. She grabbed the ball from the slot and placed it at the end of the table. “Well. I am glad this is where you parked your bus. We need a good person to take over when Nedley decides he can’t do it anymore.” She missed her shot and slammed the end of her stick on the ground, mumbling profanities to herself.

       Nicole looked up at her, mouth slightly open. She wanted her to take over as Sheriff? She hadn’t even been here for 2 months. “Well, thanks. It’d be an honor to take over his position . . . But, I don’t know if I am capable of that.” She made 2 in a row and added more chalk to her stick.

       “Of course you are, you’re a great cop, Haught Stuff.” 

       “Aw, thanks Wynonna, I think that’s the nicest thing you have ever said to me,” she cooed, shooting and missing

       “Yea, don’t get used to it,” the brunette laughed. She made her next three shots, finally missing on her fourth one. “Oooo, beat that,” she said, popping the “t”.

       “Ooo, you’re ahead by one, I’m so scared!”

       “You should be because _I_ am going to get some more shots. Be right back, Haught Shit, no cheating.” Wynonna leaned her stick against the table and walked off. Nicole shook her head, rolling her eyes. She shot and missed. Sighing, she took a swig of her beer and checked her phone. There was a text from Waverly.

 

 **Waves 🌊 💛:  Hey, I’m really sorry about earlier. Idk why I was so mad. I hope u have a good time with Wy tonight, I told her not to torture u too much** 😊

 

       Nicole smiled. She was glad Waverly wasn’t mad anymore. It had really been stressing her out.

 

 **Nicole Haught** ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙 **: It's ok. I’m having more fun than I thought I would. She’s not thaaaat bad...**

**Waves 🌊 💛:  See what u think after she has a few more drinks lol**

**Nicole Haught** ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙 **: Here she comes with more. Wish me luck, Waves** ❤

 **Waves 🌊 💛: U'll need it. TTYL** 💕 😘

 

       “Hey, Smiley, whatcha looking at?” Wynonna asked, walking up to Nicole with a tray of shots.

       “Nothing,” she smirked, shoving her phone back in her pocket. “Holy shit, when you said you were getting more I didn’t think you meant a _whole bottle_!” She gawked at the 10 shots sitting on the tray. It looked like vodka this time.

       “I thought you said you wanted to have some fun tonight?"

       “I don’t think I’ve had this much _fun_ since Academy,” the Deputy mumbled, still shocked. “Well, at least with other people around.” She scratched the back of her neck.

       “Aren’t you _my_ age?” Wynonna asked with a look of confusion.

       “26 . . .” She mumbled. She didn’t party a lot. She didn’t want to mess up her status as a police officer by doing something stupid.

       “Girl, you need to get out more,” the brunette huffed, handing her a shot.

       “Hey! I _do_ get out. I just don’t need to drink to have fun,” Nicole defended, swallowing her 4th shot of the night, placing it upside down on the tray. “It's your turn,” she informed, trying to get the taste out of her mouth. Wynonna downed 2 of hers and walked to the table, missing once again. Nicole figured the alcohol was starting to hit her. She walked up to the table and carefully lined up her shot. She pulled back just enough and the red ball went straight into the pocket. She lined it up again and shot another perfect one. She grabbed a glass and downed it. “Woooo!”

       “Yea, yea, we get it,” Wynonna grumbled, rolling her eyes. Nicole shot again, missing. “Ha,” Wynonna muttered. She finished the whiskey in her glass and walked up to the table. Tonight was obviously not her night, for she missed, sinking the cue ball. “I think the table is crooked."

       Nicole shot and knocked it in with ease. “Really?” I don't think so . . . 2 more to go!” She teased, twirling her stick around. She flipped another shot glass before taking a shot.

       “Aw, poor you,” Wynonna frowned, patting her on the shoulder.

       “ _Aw, poor you_ ,” the redhead mocked, taking a sip of beer. “Where are we even going after this?” A small slur was creeping through her voice.

       “I don’t know, wherever we end up,” Wynonna shrugged, shooting and knocking the white ball _and_ one of Nicole’s in.

       “Nice one, Earp,” Haught laughed, clapping her shoulder. “Do they Uber out here?”

       “Yea, why?” She asked, taking a shot.

       “Ima to need one to get home tonight.” She downed a shot and lined herself up on the table, almost knocking her beer over. Her final ball barely rolled into the pocket. “Top right!” she called, knocking in the 8 ball in successfully. “WOOOO, SUCK IT EARP!!!” Nicole took her final shot and threw her arms in the air.

       “Damn, Red, you talk to your mother with that mouth?” The older girl joked, downing her final 2 shots on the tray.

       “Nope,” Nicole sighed, leaning against the table.

       “Oh . . . Sorry."

       “It's fine, they all hate me, I hate them. That’s just how we do it.”

       “Sounds like a blast . . . C'mon, let’s go have some _real_ fun.” Wynonna let out an evil giggle and walked their empty glasses back to the bartender, slapping a $50 down. Nicole chugged the last of her beer and set her mug on the bar. Wynonna grabbed her arm and led them out to her truck.

       “You’re driving?” She asked, mouth wide open.

       “You obviously can’t, _Lightweight_."

       “Am not!”

       “Ook, Haughty, get in the truck.”

       After a 20-minute drive of drunken chit chat and 6 _almost_ -crashes, they pulled up to Pussy Willows. Nicole got out first, cocking an eyebrow at the sign on the front of the building. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been clubbing. That was probably a good thing, though.  

       “You ready?” Wynonna asked, walking around the front of the truck to her.

       “I was born ready,” Nicole slurred with a huge smile on her face. “Can I text Waverly first, though? She'll probably wanna know where we are.”

       “Go for it,” she sighed, hopping on the hood.

 

 **Nicole Haught** ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙 **: Heeeey youuuu!**

**Waves 🌊 💛: What did u do**

**Nicole Haught** ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙 **: What do u mean? The onluy thing I did wass desrtoy ur sister in pool haha**

**Waves 🌊 💛: Oh ok. I thought u two were in jail and needed bail or something. What r u guys doing now?**

**Nicole Haught** ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙 **: Pussssyyyyyyy**

**Waves 🌊 💛:  What…?**

**Nicole Haught** ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙 **: We’re clubbing girlllll**

 **Waves 🌊 💛: Ohhhh, Pussy Willows. Got it. Well, u guys go have fun, don’t do anything too stupid, please? Call me if u need anything** ❤

 **Nicole Haught** ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙 **: I wiill. Bye bye Waves!**

 

       The redhead put her phone back in her pocket and walked over to Wynonna. “Ready!”

       “Let’s do this!” They walked to the front of the line and Wynonna showed the bouncer her badge. He nodded and unclipped the rope so they could enter.

       Nicole waved at him as they entered the dimly lit, foggy room. "Ooooo," she mumbled as she followed Wynonna up to the bar.

       “Hey, Aphrodite, what can I get ya?” A shorter blonde lady asked from behind the bar.

       “I told you to stop calling me that, Tana I don't work here anymore,” she grumbled through her teeth.

       “Sorry, I had to," she chuckled.

       “ _You_ worked here?!” Nicole gasped.

       “Yea, say it louder for the people in the back,” she mumbled.

       “Sorry . . .”

       “Get me a whiskey,” Wynonna sighed. “Haughty?”

       “Jack and Coke,” she ordered. The bartender gave her a look. So did Wynonna.

       “Are you sure you need more tonight, Red?” The brunette asked.

       “Uh-huh!”

       “Ook, here ya’ll go.” They took their drinks and walked into the crowd.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       It was now around 2 AM. Wynonna had thrown her guts up in the trash can near them and went to the bathroom to clean herself up. Nicole was almost as trashed as Wynonna, but she was having too much fun to let it get to her. She barely knew what was going on or where she even was, but almost sobered up when she felt a pair of hands on her hips. She spun around and was met eye to eye with a younger brunette.

       “You wanna show me those moves at my place, Baby?” The girl asked, pushing her body against Nicole’s.

       “No, I don’t. I’m taken.” She lifted the girl's hands off her hips and dropped them with a disgusted look on her face.

       The brunette rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Bitch.” She walked off, leaving Nicole speechless.

       What had just happened? She was used to being hit on by people, but her own reaction was what shocked her. Taken? She wasn’t. Or . . . was she? The burn of alcohol hit her stomach like a ton of bricks. She let out a groan and stumbled back to the bar. “Gimme one shot of your hardest,” she slurred at the poor man behind the bar. He nodded and poured some _she-didn’t-even-know-what_ into a shot glass. Nicole downed it, almost gagging. She shook her head and walked towards the direction she thought was the bathroom. Her drunken directional skills proved to be right, for she bumped into Wynonna, who was just walking out.

       “We’re leaving,” Wynonna mumbled. Nicole nodded. She was now feeling as drunk, if not more, than before the interaction with that girl. Wynonna grabbed her hand and led them out of the back of the club. The smell outside was much nicer than the smell of weed and alcohol in the club. Nicole took a few deep breaths and stumbled along behind Wynonna, noticing they were in an alley.

       “Well, well, well,” a deep voice growled behind them. Wynonna spun around, whipping out Peacemaker, trying to hold it steady. “The Earp Heir is a drunk just like her daddy.” He stepped closer to them. Nicole backed up, instinctively touching her hip, though there was no gun there. 

       “Don’t talk about him like that,” Wynonna snapped, stepping closer to the shadowed figure.

       She had seemed to be handling it, so Nicole stayed quiet, backing further away behind a dumpster, poking her head out. She accidentally fell against it trying to balance herself in a squat, rubbing her front against the outside of it, getting nasty smelling liquid all over her shirt. “Ewwwww!” she wailed. She wiped her hands off onto her pants. 

       “Bobo will be so happy when I deliver you to him,” the Revenant smirked, flashing his eyes and lunging at her. She moved out of the way just in time and kicked him in the back of the legs, causing him to fall forward onto his stomach.

       She flipped him over and put her knee on his chest. “I don't think you will be delivering anything to anyone ever again . . . Well, besides Mr. Lucifer.” He flashed his eyes at her again with a growl. She stood up with a laugh and placed Peacemaker against his forehead. “Have a safe trip!” She pulled the trigger, sending him back to Hell.

       “What the . . .” Officer Haught stammered, stepping out towards Wynonna.

       “Uhhhh . . . . . .” She stared at Nicole, wide-eyed.

       “That shit he gave me must’ve been somethin'  _real_  weird, cause I swear you-”

       “Yep, let's go,” Wynonna interrupted. They stumbled out of the alley and headed towards Wynonna’s truck. “You stink, Haught Shit.”

       "I fell down," she whined.

       “Wynonna?” a voice called.

       “Chrissy?” They said in unison when they turned to face her.

       “Hey, guys! I didn’t expect to see y’all all the way out here!”

       “We were having a _blast_!” Nicole said with a huge smile on her face.

       “I can see that. I was supposed to drive my friend home, but she left with some guy. You guys need a ride?”

       “Sure do!” Wynonna said with a grin. They both were so wasted that they were already forgetting what had just happened. They climbed into the backseat of Chrissy’s car and she pulled out.

       By the time she arrived at the Homestead, they were both passed out. She didn’t know what to do, so she went up and banged on the door.

       After a few seconds, a very upset, sleepy Waverly answered. “What the hell d- Oh, hi Chrissy!” She pulled her blanket over her shoulders. “Why are you at my house at 3 in the morning?”

       “I kinda have your sister and that new red-headed cop passed out in the back of my car,” she mumbled. 

       “Oh no.” Waverly walked with Chrissy to her car. She opened the left-hand door, and Wynonna flopped halfway out the car, Nicole slumping into her lap. “I am so sorry, Chrissy,” the smaller girl groaned, trying to push Wynonna to an upright position.

       “Neither of them threw up in there, so it's fine,” she replied with a laugh. “You ready?”

       “Yep.” Chrissy grabbed Wynonna under her arms and pulled her out slowly. Waverly grabbed her legs and they carried her into the house, upstairs, and set her down onto her bed.

       “What do I do with that one? Do you have her address?” Chrissy asked as they walked outside.

       “No . . . She can stay here for the night, I guess,” Waverly shrugged, hiding a smile.

       “Ok. Where are we going with her?”

       “Ummm, my bed, I guess,” she sighed. Chrissy nodded and leaned in, dragging Nicole’s top half out. They carried her up and dropped her onto Waverly’s bed.

       “I think Nonna threw up on herself at some point,” Waverly groaned, rubbing her face. “Do you mind putting some clean clothes on her?” Chrissy had done this before with both the Earp girls, so she knew the drill. 

       “Sure,” Chrissy mumbled, sulking out of the room.

       Waverly put her hands on her hips. Nicole had _God knows what_ smeared down the front of her shirt and jeans. And she _really_ didn’t want it all over her bed. She walked to her closet and found an oversized hoodie with kittens all over it and a pair of navy sweatpants that she barely ever wore because they were too long for her. She grabbed both articles of clothing and threw them on the edge of the bed. 

       It now hit her that she was going to be changing Nicole. It felt like she was breaking some kind of rule, that she wasn’t supposed to be doing this. Would Nicole be mad at her? _No_ , she would be grateful that Waverly didn’t leave her in those nasty clothes. _Right_? “Screw it,” she mumbled to herself. She grabbed the clothes and moved them to her nightstand. Waverly kneeled on the bed next to the redhead, finally getting a good whiff of the dark-colored stain down her front. “Ugh,” she groaned as she untucked her shirt and started unbuttoning it. She got to the bottom button and pulled her shirt open. The liquid had soaked through her shirt and was all over her chest and stomach. “Yuck.” Waverly got up and walked to the bathroom, grabbing the baby wipes. She walked into Wynonna’s room. Chrissy was yanking on Wynonna’s skinny jeans, trying to get them off her limp body. “You need some of these?” She asked with a laugh.

       “Yea,” the blond responded, out of breath.

       “You get throw up, I get nasty garbage-smelling juice. I think that’s fair,” Waverly said with a nod.

       “I _did_ see them wander out of the alley behind the club. Who knows what they were doing back there,” Chrissy said, pulling some baby wipes out of the container.

       “They are in _so much_ trouble tomorrow.” Waverly went back into her room, setting the wipes down on the nightstand. She walked to the edge of her bed and began untying Nicole’s shoe. She threw it to the side and moved to the other one. She had to smile at the socks. One had whales on it and the other had narwhals. She moved up to her jeans, straddling her lower legs. She undid her belt and threw it in the general direction of her shoes. She shifted her hands to the button, undoing it and then unzipping them. Grabbing the top hem of the jeans, she began to pull. She wiggled her hands back and forth trying to get them below her hips and was relieved when she finally got them down to her knees. She stopped for a second, glancing up. She hadn’t imagined Nicole as a briefs kind of girl. "Hmm, you learn something new every day." She climbed off the edge of the bed and grabbed one pant leg, pulling it down with all her might. When she slid it off her foot, she moved to the other one, doing the same thing. She grabbed the jeans and folded them, setting them with her other things. She straddled her again, properly this time, and pulled her into a sitting position, wrapping one arm around her back to hold her up. Waverly slid the shirt off her arms and tossed it to the floor. She set Nicole back down and climbed off her, folding the shirt and setting it on top of her jeans.

       After grabbing the wipes, she pulled one out and began to wipe down her neck and chest. She slid down to her stomach, rubbing the wipe up and down the toned body of the Officer. It was shocking that her tight uniform could hide so much definition. She was trying to stay mature, but it was awful hard seeing the beautiful girl lying almost naked in front of her. Waverly climbed back off the bed and tossed the wipes in the trash can.  She took the sweatpants and slid them on the taller girl’s body. They fit her nicely. She climbed on her, pulling her up again. She grabbed the hoodie and laid Nicole against her so she could unfold it. She slid it over her head and pulled her arms through the holes. “Done,” Waverly sighed, letting out a breath. She pulled the hood off the Officer and carefully pulled her hair out. She laid her back down and crawled off her, scooting her up so she was on the pillow and covered her up. She walked back to Wynonna’s room and Chrissy was standing at the edge of the bed, admiring her hard work. 

       “We did it!” She shrieked when Waverly walked in. Waverly gave her a high five.

       “And I am exhausted. You can crash downstairs if you want,” Waverly offered.

       “Already planned on it. I have a bag of clothes in my car, be right back.” Chrissy walked downstairs.

       Waverly followed. “I am gonna get their pills ready. They’ll need them tomorrow.”

       “Good idea,” Chrissy called from the front door.  Waverly walked to the sink and poured 2 cups of water, carrying them back upstairs. She set one in Wynonna’s room, and one in her own. She walked to the bathroom, and grabbed two bottles of medicine, dispatching them the same way. She walked to her closet and changed her shirt, for she had still managed to get crap all over it. She found Nicole’s hoodie she had thrown off earlier in anger and put it back on, smelling it with a smile.  “Goodnight, Waverly!” Chrissy called from downstairs.

       “Goodnight! Thanks for bringing them home safely!”

       “No problem!” Waverly shut the light off, crawling into bed, moving Nicole’s arm out of the way. She really was glad Chrissy had found them when she did. Wynonna was probably going to try to drive them home, and it most likely would _not_ have turned out pretty if she did. Wynonna was safe. Nicole was safe. What more could she ask for? Waverly soon drifted off to sleep after she scooted closer to Nicole’s still passed out body.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole’s eyes slightly opened, her brain immediately throbbing from the light shining in them. She let out a loud groan and shifted herself to her side, facing away from the window. Window? The window in Nicole’s room was behind her bed. She opened her eyes once again, scanning the room she was in. It was obviously not hers. She rubbed her eyes, wincing from the bruise. She looked to her right and saw a body lying next to her. She let out a gasp. _What_ had she done last night? She paused for a second. She had been here before. She relaxed when she realized it was Waverly’s room and that it was Waverly next to her. “How did I get here?” she mumbled to herself.

       “Me and Chrissy carried you up here after you passed out in the back of her car,” Waverly mumbled back, scaring the living shit out of her. She rolled over, and Nicole laid back down, facing her.

       “What happened last night?” She groaned, rubbing her forehead. She pulled her arm back, looking at her sleeve. She sat up very quickly and pulled the blanket down, looking at her pants. “And _where_ are my clothes?”

       Waverly sat up. “Here, I'll sum it up for you. You and Wy were at Shorty’s playing pool. You got bored. Drove _already_ _drunk_ to Pussy Willows. Were there for a good 3 hours. Got wasted _off your ass_. Chrissy found you two after you staggered out of the back alley. You were covered in garbage liquid. Wynonna was covered in throw up. She drove you guys here, but you both had passed out in the back seat of her car. We brought you both inside. I changed you and wiped you off because I was _not_ getting that nasty shit on my bed. I went to bed exhausted, thanks for that. And now we're here. Pills are right there, by the way . . . Do you remember any of that?”

       “Nope, not really,” the redhead sighed, reaching for the medicine.

       “Figured you wouldn't,” Waverly laughed.

       “My head hurts,” she complained, laying back down after swallowing the pills and pulling the hood over her head.

       "I, uh, hope you don't mind that I changed you," Waverly mumbled.

       "Well, judging by how _bad_ I smell right now, I am going to thank you for it," Nicole whispered with a smile. "As long as you liked what you saw."

       "Mmm, sure did." She snuggled closer to Nicole. "You can shower here if you want," she suggested. 

       "Ok," she mumbled, slowly sitting up again. "What time is it?" 

       "Quarter till 9," Waverly said, standing up and stretching.

       Nicole swung her legs off the edge of the bed. "I have to be at work at 10." She stood slowly, grabbing her head. " _Shit_ , my car is still at Shorty's, isn't it?"

       "I think so. Do you want me to call Dolls and tell him to drive it here?" 

       "Yea, that'd be nice. I'm gonna shower . . . I'm keeping this hoodie by the way." She winked at Waverly and walked to the bathroom.        

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Nicole, she has to go right to work.
> 
> Yes, This fic will show Nicole more masculine than she actually is, not a lot, just a little bit. Sorry if you don't like that...
> 
> Did you like this chapter and my rendition of another drunken WynHaught adventure?  
> Let me know!
> 
> You know the comment drill. :)


	12. New High Score

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly and Nicole go back to her place together before she has to go in for work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooow! This chapter got me to 100 pages on the Google Docs template I write it on! 
> 
> I wrote you guys yet another WayHaught adventure for this chapter, so I hope you like it. 
> 
> Enjoy!! :)

       “You wanna ride to my place with me?” Nicole asked, tussling a towel through her hair.

       “Yea, sure,” Waverly answered with a smile. “Wynonna said she needs me at the station today, anyway.”

       “Alright, cool. We’ll go once you’re ready.” Nicole sat on the couch and put her shoes on as Waverly ran up and changed her clothes. After a few minutes, she came back down.

       “Ready!” She sang.

       Nicole stood up, head still pounding, and grabbed the trash bag containing her nasty clothes. “Thanks again, Chrissy,” she smiled, looking over at the girl standing in the kitchen.

       “No problem,” she replied in a yawn.

       The two girls walked out the front door. Nicole shielded her eyes from the sun and quickly put her Aviators on when she got in the car. “I can’t believe Dolls’ workout today was driving your car here then taking a run back to Shorty’s,” Waverly said, shaking her head. 

       “I don’t know how he does it,” the redhead sighed. “Like, yea, I work out hard, but-”

       “ _Obviously_ ,” Waverly cut her off.

       Nicole looked toward her with a blush forming on her cheeks, rolling her eyes behind her sunglasses. “But it's like he has superpowers or something with all that stamina,” she finished.

       “He sure is special.” Waverly slid her hand under Nicole’s.

       The rest of their drive consisted of bickering over the best way to survive a zombie apocalypse and Waverly demanding to know how she got her hands so soft. “Literally all I do is put lotion on them, Waves,” she said as the brunette closely closely examined one.

       “I don’t believe you,” she grumbled, hiding a smile.

       “Ooook, you do you. Let's go, we only have like 20 minutes.” Waverly looked up. They were parked in front of a light blue house. Nicole opened her door and got out, stretching. Waverly grabbed the trash bag and exited the car, staring at the house with an open smile. Nicole walked over to her.

       “It's so cute!” Waverly exclaimed, placing her arm around Nicole’s middle.

       “Thanks?” Waverly let out a giggle and gave Nicole a peck on the cheek. She skipped up to the front door. Nicole sorted through her keys and found the right one. She opened the screen door. “Someone’s gonna be mad,” she mumbled, unlocking the door and pushing it open, letting Waverly in first. She was overjoyed that the house smelled just like Nicole. It was simple but very organized. The books on the bookshelf were by color and the shoe rack was by style.

       “You can set that crap next to the couch,” Nicole said, taking her sunglasses off and rubbing her eyes. They both paused when they heard a series of screeching. Waverly looked at Nicole and she clenched her jaw. “Yep, definitely mad,” she muttered, walking over to the direction of the noise. Waverly slowly followed, only to let out a laugh when she saw Nicole picking up a large orange cat off of the back of the couch. “ _God_ _damn_ , Calamity, you’re fat,” Nicole whispered, walking towards the kitchen.

       “And who is this?” Waverly questioned, scratching the orange fluff on the cat’s head.

       “Waverly, Calamity Jane. CJ, Waverly,” she introduced, opening a food can. “Someone is angry that I wasn’t home to feed them last night. Ain’t that right, you brat?” Calamity meowed and walked across the counter closer to Waverly, disregarding the food.

       “Why, hello there,” she cooed, stroking her new furry friend. She looked up at Nicole with a wide smile as the cat licked her face.

       “Ok, you, come eat,” Nicole called, tapping the dish on the counter and placing in on the floor. Calamity hopped off the counter. “Well, now that you have met my child, I need to get ready." She reached her hand out to Waverly.

       She took it and they headed down the hallway. “I can _really_ see the resemblance." 

       “Oooh, good one,” the Officer smirked. She led them into her room at the end of the hall. It was just as organized, if not more than the rest of the house and seemed to be ocean themed. There were pictures of sea life all over her walls and her bedding had realistic ocean waves on it. The only thing looking out of place was the Pac Man Arcade Machine sitting in the corner of her room.

       “Woahhhh!!!” Waverly exclaimed, pointing to it. “Where’d you get that?!”

       “My friend from back home bought me it when I graduated Academy. You can play it if you want,” she offered, walking over to her dresser.

       Waverly jumped up and down happy clapping before darting over to it. She fumbled with the joystick and the few buttons on the top for a bit. The screen stayed blank. “How do you turn it on, Nic?”

       “Oh, right.” She walked up behind her, placing a hand on her hip and leaned down beside her, flipping a switch on the side of the system. Waverly’s eyes widened when she realized Nicole didn’t have a shirt on anymore. The screen turned, flashing bright neon colors. “There ya go.” She started to walk away but was stopped by a hand on her wrist. Waverly pulled her back to where she was before. She grabbed her other arm and pulled them both in front of her, placing her hands on the controls of the game. “Waves-”

       “One game, _please_?” She begged, turning around and pulling Nicole’s hips towards her. She looked up at her with the best puppy dog eyes she could manage. “It will be quick, I promise.”

       Nicole licked her lips. “ _O_ _ne_ game . . . I can’t say no to a face like that,” she smirked, rolling Waverly’s bottom lip down with her thumb. She slid her hand to her jaw and pulled her into a kiss, pushing her back into the arcade system. Nicole pulled back after a few seconds and the smaller one let out a giggle, spinning back around. Nicole moved her hands back to the system and pressed start. Waverly leaned back into the redhead, watching the little yellow thing move up and down the screen.

       After a few minutes, Nicole finally died. The system made a celebratory noise and New High Score popped up on the screen. The Officer wrapped her arms around her, pulling her close. “I guess you’re my good luck charm,” she husked, kissing her neck.

       Waverly let out a quiet moan, grasping her bicep. “No, that’s all you, Baby,” she breathed, spinning around. She pulled Nicole into a kiss, and the redhead backed them to the bed, flipping over before they laid down. Waverly ran her finger down the seam of the blue sports bra Nicole was wearing.

       Nicole began sucking on the younger Earp’s neck, getting a few noises from her when she started grinding her hips into her. Officer Haught moved her hands down and pushed one under her shirt. She felt her warm skin and how her torso moved with every breath. She let out a sigh and detached her lips from Waverly’s neck, rolling off to the side of the bed. “Wooork,” she groaned. Judging by the time, she already knew she would be late. She sat up and looked down at Waverly, who was still catching her breath. She noticed the red blotch forming on her neck. “Whoops,” she muttered, tilting her head for a better look.

       “No you didn’t.” She sat up, placing her hand over it, wide-eyed. She gave her a nervous smile. “Ughh, Wy is gonna _kill_ me _and_ you,” she complained.

       “Worth it.” Nicole winked at her and walked back to her dresser.

       Waverly shot the back of her head a look. “Where’s your bathroom?” She asked. “I want to see how noticeable it is.”

       “First door on the right,” Nicole answered. Waverly got up and walked to the bathroom. Nicole took this time to continue getting dressed.

       She turned the light on in the bathroom, leaning against the counter and tilting her head up. She saw the mark on her neck. It was red around the outside and a darker red on the inside. She rubbed it for a few seconds, and then rubbed it with some water, but it wasn't getting any lighter. She sighed and walked back to Nicole’s room.

       Nicole had only enough time to change her underwear and put on a white cotton tank top by the time Waverly stomped back into the room. “What’s wrong?” SHe pouted sarcastically, crossing her arms.

       “Nothing,” she mocked, mimicking her stance and tone.

       “Ohhh, ok, so I can make it darker then? Since it's nothing . . .” She jokingly started leaning towards her neck.

       “Nicoleee,” Waverly laughed, slapping her hands against her shoulders.

       “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll stop,” Nicole said, still laughing. 

       “I am going to play Pac Man, _Dracula_ ,” the brunette huffed, hiding a smile. She walked back over to the machine and Nicole continued getting dressed. She pulled her khakis off the hanger and slid them on, doing the same with her shirt. She buttoned it, leaving the top two buttons open, and tucked it into her pants, buttoning them and slipping her belt on. After rolling her sleeves to elbow level, she began braiding her hair. She sat on the edge of her bed where she could see herself in the mirror on the closet door. This was usually the longest part of her morning because she had to make sure it was _just_ _right_.

       When it looked up to her standards, she walked around the bed to Waverly, who was still intently playing the game. “Does this look good?” She asked, turning around.

       Waverly turned, looking at her hair, but then shifting her eyes downward, sticking her tongue out between her teeth. She walked up to Nicole, placing her hands on her ass and resting her head on her shoulder. “Looks great,” she smirked.

       “I _meant_ my hair,” she informed.

       Waverly turned her around. “Mhm, that too.” She pulled the Officer into a deep kiss, slipping her tongue in her mouth. Nicole reciprocated the action.

       After a while, Nicole pulled away with a groan, smoothing her shirt. “Nedley is already going to shoot me, we need to get going." Waverly sighed and wiped the lipstick off from around Nicole’s lips carefully. She flipped the switch off on the game and wandered out the door. She sat on the couch, petting Calamity Jane. Nicole came out and sat next to her, pulling her boots on. She stood and grabbed her Stetson from the hook by the door. She clipped her utility belt on and stuck her gun in the holster. “I’m ready, Waves,” she called from the door, placing her Aviators back on. Waverly said goodbye to CJ and walked over to her. She opened the door and stepped out, holding the screen door open for the brunette.

       “Officer, _so polite_!” Waverly smiled, running her hand down her front.

       She rolled her eyes and they headed towards her cruiser. “Depending on the time of day,” she said with a wink, running her thumb along the mark on Waverly’s neck.

       Waverly moved her tongue along her top molars. “You’re so bad,” she muttered, climbing into the car.

       Nicole closed her door with a chuckle and walked around to the driver’s side, starting the car. “Why does Wynonna need you there today?” She asked, pulling away.

       “I dunno, I think she needs more of my research about- . . . _things_.” She cringed at herself.

       Nicole snapped her towards her, mouth dropped open. “ _You_ know about all that secret stuff, too?”

       Waverly sunk down in her seat and looked out the window. “Maybe."

       “Dolls said he needs to talk to me today, so maybe I get to be included _for once."_

       “Hey . . .” Waverly placed her hand on her arm. “It's not that he isn’t _including_ you, it's that he _can’t._  Nedley doesn’t even know why he’s here.”

       “Oh.” She hadn’t thought about it like that. There really _must_ have been some serious stuff going on. She relaxed a little bit, trying to ignore the ache that was traveling around her whole body.

       Nicole and Waverly rushed into the station after they arrived, for the officer was 30 minutes late for work. She had never been late before so she was quite terrified. “You’re late, Haught!” Dolls called from the BBD office doorway. “Both of you, in here!” Waverly looked up at Nicole calmly, trying to reassure her. They walked in and Dolls closed the door behind them.

       “Where were you?” Wynonna demanded, taking a bite out of her donut.

       “We . . .” The redhead started.

       “ _Were_ looking for her cat.” Waverly finished, smiling at Wynonna as they sat down.

       “Mmm, I see. So did it _bite_ you when you found it?” Wynonna asked, blinking at her sister. Nicole slumped down in her chair, leaning into her hand to hide her reddened face.

       “What?” The smaller girl asked obliviously.

       Wynonna shook her head and stood, finishing off her donut. “Nevermind." She flicked her neck and made a purring noise when she walked behind her. She gasped and Nicole snorted before standing and walking to the coffee maker, pouring herself a cup. “How’s your hangover, Miss Kitty?” Wynonna asked, leaning against the counter.

       Nicole glared at her. “Could be worse,” she sighed. “You remember anything?”

       “Nope . . . That means we had fun.”

       “Maybe a little too much fun,” Nicole mumbled, taking a sip of coffee and rubbing her temple.

       “Eh, at least we didn’t wake up in a middle-aged man’s living room."

       “That’s very true.”

       “Trust me, that’s when you know you have had _a little too much fun_.” Wynonna pushed herself off the counter and walked back to the table. Nicole stood there for a second, trying to clear the images swarming her head. She shivered and walked over to Dolls.

       “So, what did you want to talk to me about?” She asked, removing her hat. She glanced behind him at Wynonna poking Waverly’s neck and teasing her. She pursed her lips and looked back at him.

       “Follow me,” he said, walking towards the corner of the room, where a chalkboard was standing. “So, Haught, I am sure you have been wondering who I am and why I am here, correct?”

       “Uh, yes sir.” Her heart was beating 100 miles per hour.

       “Well, I am going to reveal it to you. You have proved your loyalty to us. And Wynonna and I feel that you would be a great addition to this team.”

       “How . . . did I do that,” she asked, shoving her thumbs into her belt.

       “When you saved Waverly from Champ,” he answered, raising his eyebrows.

       “Oh. Yeah. Continue.”

       “ _I_ am a special agent for a confidential joint-task force called the Black Badge Division. Out duty is to investigate things that are . . . unexplainable. And the Ghost River Triangle is full of it. _It_ , in this case, being Revenants. What is a Revenant, you ask? Have you heard of Wyatt Earp?” Nicole nodded. “In his day he killed 77 people with his gun, Peacemaker, you have seen it. The one Wynonna carries around all the time.”

       “The long one she pointed at my head the other day?”

       “Uh, yea . . . That’s the one. Well, Earp had a curse put on his family so that all the people that he killed would come back from Hell in an attempt to kill the Heir of the Family. The Heir, _Wynonna_ , has to try and kill all of them to break the curse. Waverly has been helping us figure out who the Revenants are because she has been researching it her whole life. Wynonna has been doing the killing. And Doc, Doc Holliday, yes that Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp’s right-hand man, has been helping us, too, or at least trying to. And we want _you_. You are an extraordinary police officer with a keen eye for detail. So, while you are out doing whatever, we need you to watch for anything . . . unusual. They aren’t that hard to spot, their eyes glow red, they hate Wynonna. They do typical demon shit and are usually hanging out with Bobo.” Nicole was lost in thought. She was getting foggy images of the night before. She watched Wynonna shoot a man and he fell through a fiery hole in the ground.

“I . . . she . . . last night . . . fire.” That was all Nicole could manage to get out.

       Dolls put it together quite nicely. “Earp!” Dolls barked. Waverly and Wynonna looked up at him. “Wynonna, would you come here please?” He asked with a smile.

       Wynonna slowly stood, not breaking eye contact with Dolls. She walked to him and stood next to Nicole, who was still trying to put it all together. “What did I do?” She asked.

       “You _shot a Revenant_  right in front of Haught, that’s what you did!” Dolls snapped.

       “I did?”

       “Last night.” Nicole looked over to her, eyebrows raised.

       Wynonna thought about it for a second. “I did do that, didn’t I?” The redhead nodded. “Hey, she knows now, so it doesn’t matter.”

       “But you _can’t_ go around _shooting people_! Someone is going to _catch_ _you_ , Wynonna!”

       “Fine, I’m sorry.” She threw her hands up and walked away.

       “So, Bobo is a Revenant?” Nicole asked.

       He nodded. “Bobo Del Rey is their _leader_. Anything he says they will do. Next weekend he is hosting a party, and we need all hands on deck." He pat Nicole on the shoulder and began to walk away. “Oh, yea, one more thing . . . _Agent Haught_. Welcome to the Black Badge Division.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaaay! Agent Haught! 
> 
> She must be so happy, yet so confused. 
> 
> I guess we will learn more about her reaction next chapter. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading!


	13. My Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly gets some news she doesn't know how to handle, and Nicole tries her best to help her work through it. Let's just say they get the job done successfully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided I needed a break, so I took one. That is why there hasn't been another chapter in a while. Sorry about that. 
> 
> To pay up for it, this is a 6500-word chapter, so yaaay!
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy it. 
> 
> WayHaught gets to know each other better . . . in a lot of different ways.

       “So _how_ many of these Revenants has she killed?” Nicole asked Waverly, taking another bite of her burger. She was on her lunch break and they were sitting in her car. Waverly was trying her best to explain it all to her.

       “11, including last night,” she confirmed, balancing a tomato from her salad on her fork.

       “That’s it?!”

       “She only started a few months ago, Nic,” Waverly explained. “She just came back, remember?”

       “Oh, right. I forgot about that.” She paused for a second, thinking back to what Nedley had pulled her aside and told her earlier. She tapped her straw on her chin and turned her body towards the brunette. “Hey, Waves, I need to talk to you about something,” she said quietly.

       “What’s wrong?” She asked. She didn't like the look on Nicole’s face.

       “Uhhmm . . . Nedley told me I had to ask you . . . if you were going to be pressing charges against Champ . . . because after 48 hours with no statement we have to let him go.” Waverly looked down and pushed her food around with her fork. “We technically have until 11:32 tomorrow morning because that was when he was booked yesterday, but I figured I would ask you now so you could have some time to think about it.”

       Waverly slowly looked up at her. “I mean, of course I'm pressing charges, who wouldn’t?” 

       Nicole looked down, then back up at her. “Jessie Reyes . . .” she whispered, looking away.

       Waverly’s eyes widened and she shifted in her seat. “I . . .” Tears flooded her eyes. She fumbled her shaky hands around and unbuckled her seatbelt, quickly stepping out of the car and pacing to the other side of the station’s parking lot.

       “ _God fucking dammit_ , Haught, why do you always say the worst things,” she hissed at herself, slamming her hands on the steering wheel before storming out of the car. “Waverly, stop!” She yelled, running up to her.

       Waverly spun around with tears flowing down her cheeks and pushed her hands through her hair. “I-it's all m-my fault,” she stuttered in between sobs. “I-I knew what he did to h-her. I should have known it w-would happen to me, t-too.” Her hands covered her face and she began sobbing harder, knees buckling underneath her.

       Nicole pulled her into her arms and sat them down on the curb. “No, don't say that,” she whispered. “Shhhhh. You know that’s not true.” Nicole realized Waverly was now gasping for air. She sat her up and held her shoulders. “Shh, hey look at me, right here. Slow it down, you’re ok.” She moved the hair away from Waverly’s face and kept at her attempts to calm her down. “Just breathe, Baby, you’re ok. Look at me, shh.”

       The smaller girl slowly calmed down after a few minutes. She had never experienced anything like that, not even after the attack. She scooted back into Nicole’s arms, pressing her head against her chest. She could hear the Officer’s heart racing, slowly steadying after a few seconds. “Sorry I scared you, I don’t know what that was,” she whispered, looking up at her. 

       “You didn’t scare me. That was a panic attack, Waves. You got all worked up and your body flipped out on you.” She rubbed her hand up and down the smaller girl’s back.

 _“I scared you,_ ” she whispered even quieter, resting her hand over Nicole’s heart and nuzzling into the crease in her neck.

       Nicole put it together and sighed, “Yea. You did. But, it’s ok."

       “I guess I was just holding it all in for too long, and when I finally let some out, it all came,” she whispered.

       Nicole sat her up and used her hand to tilt her chin up. “I don’t want you to _ever_ hold any of that in. It is not healthy. And we're all here for you. No matter how much you want it to go away, it's not. Not unless you work through it.”

       “I just wanna be _strong_. I don’t wanna be a burden on you guys. And _you_. You just got here and you already have to deal with a whiny _not-even_ rape victim.”

       Nicole was put back by that response. “Waverly, I . . . no,” she stuttered, barely audible. “You are _not_ a burden and you never will be. I would _never_ think of you like that. Do you understand me?” She placed her hands gently on Waverly’s cheeks. She nodded and a single tear rolled down her cheek. “No more of that. You are gonna make yourself sick. Let’s go back inside, it's cold out here.” Nicole kissed away the tear and they stood, walking towards the station.

       They walked into the Deputy's office. She had some paperwork to get done and Waverly decided she wanted to lay down for a little while on her couch. “Just let me know if you need anything, ok, Waves?” Waverly nodded. Nicole sat down in her chair and plugged an earbud in, pressing play on her phone. She immediately got to work, slowly bobbing her head to the beat. Music helped her focus on everything better. And as a kid, it helped her block out the world when she needed to most.

       A few hours and a lot of Fall Out Boy later, Nicole heard a small whisper. “Nic?” She pulled her earbud out and rolled her chair over to the couch.

       “Yea, Waves?” 

       “I think I'm ready now.”

       Nicole swallowed. Hard.

       “A-Are you sure?”

       Waverly sat up and rubbed her eyes. Nicole rolled directly in front of her and placed her hands gently on her knees, rubbing small circles with her thumbs. “I just wanna get it over with,” she sighed, looking into Nicole’s honey brown eyes.

       There was a knock at the door.

       “Come in!” The Officer called, standing up. Wynonna popped her head in the door. She let out a sigh, sitting back down.

       “Hey, just wanted to let ya’ll know that me and Dolls are heading out on a lead. Don’t know for sure when we will be back, but I'll text you, ok, Babygirl?”

       Waverly nodded. “Bye, Nonna. Be safe.”

       “Always am,” she said with a smile before closing the door.

       Waverly looked back at Nicole, who was subconsciously running her fingers along the seam of Waverly’s jeans. Nicole glanced down and pulled her hands into her lap with a blush, putting a small smile to form on Waverly’s face. It slowly faded when she remembered what they had been talking about before they were interrupted. “I don’t want you to do this until you are completely ready,” Nicole said, using a bit of her Officer voice.

       Waverly nodded shyly, tracing her eyes around at the room. “I won’t be _completely_ ready for a while,” she said quietly, still not looking directly at her. “Let’s just get it over with, ok? I'll be fine.”

       Nicole sighed, pursing her lips. She didn’t know if this was the best idea, but they were slowly running out of time. “Ok. _But_. At any time, if you feel like you need to stop, _tell_ me and we will stop. I don't care if we have to take _20_ breaks.”

       Waverly nodded and pushed her hands against the tops of Nicole’s thighs to roll her back so she had room to stand. “Does, uhm . . . Nedley have to be in there the whole time?” There was a look of worry in her eyes.

       The redhead hadn’t thought about how that would make her a bit uncomfortable. “Unless you want to do a written report,” she answered lightly, standing up next to her. Waverly knew _that_ was not going to happen. The thought of having to write all that down made her even more uneasy. She shook her head. The Officer stood a second in thought before smoothing her shirt. “Actually, let me see what I can do. I'll be right back, don't go anywhere.” She gave Waverly a soft kiss and gently closed the door behind her. Waverly knew it was protocol to have the highest-ranked officer in the room during an interview, for she had given one or two before. She had no clue what strings Nicole was going to try to pull for her. She sat on the office chair and rolled it over to the couch, propping her legs up on it. She tried to distract herself by playing Crossy Road on her phone.

       Nicole took a breath and tapped on the Sheriff’s open door. He looked up. “Haught.” He motioned for her to come in.

       She sat in the chair in front of him. “Sir,” she greeted with a nod.

       “Has Waverly made her decision yet?” He asked, removing his glasses.

       “Uh, yes, Sir. That’s actually why I am here.” 

       “She doesn’t want me in there, does she?” Nedley asked, immediately knowing the answer by the way Nicole pursed her lips after he asked it.

       “Not really, no,” she mumbled.

       Nedley stood, causing her to pop up right after. He grabbed his Stetson off the coat rack and turned to her. “Well, it _just so happens_ that I am headed to Shorty’s on my break. I guess that makes _you_ the top rank in the building at the moment, doesn’t it _Sheriff’s Deputy Haught_?”

        A smile crept onto her face. “Thank you, Sir,” she said softly.

       Nedley nodded. “This stays between us, Haught. And _because_ I am so nice, you can take off for the day when you are done. You have had a long week." He turned for the door.

       “Yes. Of course, Sir.” She gave her boss a wave as he left. She let out a raspberry through her lips as she walked out. Nicole stopped right outside her office door. She shook her arms and pursed her lips. She knew she had to do this professionally if she wanted the statement to be taken seriously. She took a breath and wiped all emotion from her face. Waverly turned the chair around and stood as she walked in the door. “Ms. Earp, if you could please follow me to the interview room. I am the leading officer at the moment, therefore I will be taking your statement,” she said, completely professional.

       The change in attitude threw Waverly for a loop. “Uh, yea. But, what about Nedley, Ni-Officer Haught?” She walked out of the room and the Officer shut the door behind her.

       “Sheriff Nedley's not here right now, Ma’am,” she informed, keeping her eyes straight ahead.

       Waverly bit her lip to stop a huge grin from spreading across her face as she saw Nedley walking out the front doors of the station with a donut in his hand. She understood it all _completely_ now. “I see,” she smirked in a lower tone, glancing at Nicole. When they arrived, the Officer typed a pin in the keypad and the door unlocked, giving them access to the room. She grabbed a piece of paper from the wall file and pulled the door open, holding it for the brunette. She followed after, pulling it closed. She set the paper down on the table in the middle of the room and pulled the metal cover down on the window. She walked over to the corner of the room and reached up, flicking the small white security camera down flush against the wall. Waverly cocked an eyebrow at the redhead, not sure what she was doing or why she was doing it. Her question was answered when she felt her hands grip her waist and her breath hot on the back of her neck.

       “In case you didn't catch on, I have to act as if we have no relationship whatsoever during this whole thing. So you gotta use my title and not console in me because I can’t do anything, I’m sorry,” she whispered, voice breaking a bit at the end. She spun Waverly around and pulled her hips into her. Waverly moved her hands up her arms, feeling her firm muscles through the uniform. “You are going to be ok, I know you will. But if you need a break at any time just tell me and I will pause the recording, ok, Waves?” Waverly nodded. “Sorry if I scared you a little there a little bit ago,” she whispered with a chuckle.

       “Oh, no. You didn’t . . . It was kinda hot actually,” she whispered back with a smirk. She stood up on her toes and moved her face millimeters away from Nicole’s ear. “ _Officer_ ,” she husked, moving her hand down and gripping Nicole’s ass. Every hair on Nicole’s body stood up and her breathing stalled, making the smaller girl giggle.

       She stood there for a few seconds, wide-eyed. “Y-you’re right,” she finally sputtered out. “That is k-kinda hot.”

       “Mhm.” She pulled Nicole in for a deep kiss, pushing both of her hands up Nicole’s chest and wrapping her arms around her neck. Nicole walked them back towards the table and lifted the smaller girl up, setting her on the edge. She spread her legs with her knee and inched her way in between them, putting a hand on her cheek.

       After a bit, Waverly remembered what the purpose of being in that room was for, so she pushed Nicole back a bit. “Should we actually get started?” She asked, changing her tone a little and grabbing Nicole’s hands.

       “Oh . . . yea . . . sorry,” Nicole said with a shy smile.

       The brunette hopped off the table and gave her one last kiss. “You can be all professional again,” she sighed, walking to the other side of the table and taking a seat. When she looked up, she was surprised. All signs of emotion had left Nicole’s face and she was re-tucking her shirt in and checking it in the viewfinder of the camera placed on the tripod standing next to the table.

       The Deputy cleared her throat and sat down, pulling a pen out of her pocket. “First, you need to fill this out. It is all of your basic personal information and the minor details of the incident,” she stated, sliding the paper across the table and setting the pen down next to it. She then leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, watching Waverly pick up the pen and begin to write.

       Even with her harsh demeanor and blank face (that she had trained so hard to master), she still noticed how Waverly bit the end of the pen when she read and how she tapped her foot when she wrote. She had been screamed at by drunks and made fun of by young pricks, but was by far the hardest she ever had to try to keep a straight face. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from slipping out just a little smile. She noticed how her mood changed as she continued down the paper, getting into the more serious questions about the incident.

       Waverly looked up, slight fear in her eyes. “D-do I, uh, have to write his full name? Like, actual first name?” She asked.

       “Yes, Ma’am."

       “But . . . He never told anyone his real name,” she mumbled.

       “It’s James,” she said bluntly. Waverly opened her mouth to speak, but decided against it. Haught pulled out her notebook from her utility belt and jotted down a few things, mostly reminders of questions she needed to remember to ask. Waverly continued on with the questions, chewing on the hem of her shirt. After a few more minutes, she was all done. She slid the paper back across the table and rolled the pen next to it. The Officer put her notebook down and picked it up to skim over it, making sure she hadn’t missed any boxes or wrote anything illegible. It seemed good so she pushed it to the side.

       “Are you ready to start your statement?” Waverly resituated herself and nodded. She began chewing on the side of her thumb. The Officer got up to press start on the camera but paused. “Waves.”

       Waverly looked up at her. “Yea?”

       “Breathe. Ok? This won’t take too long, I promise.” She gave her a caring smile and looked behind her at the wall. She gathered her bearings and cleared her head, getting back into her professional state. Waverly dropped her hand to her lap and heard the ding of the camera as Nicole sat down. “Case number 42048: Earp vs Hardy Clip 1. Date is currently March 16, 2016, and it is 3:41 PM. Sheriff’s Deputy Nicole Haught interviewing Ms. Waverly Earp, who claims Mr. James Hardy attempted to sexually assault her. Please note that the defendant goes by Champ.” The Officer moved her eyes from the camera to Waverly, who looked somewhat calm at this moment, much to her relief. “Ms. Earp, what day did this crime occur?” Nicole clicked her pen out.

       “March 13, 2016,” she stated.

       Nicole jotted it down as if she hadn’t known that already. “And at approximately what time?”

       “Maybe 7:45 PM?” Waverly guessed.

       She wrote that down also. “So, where were you at the time of this event?” The Officer looked up at her and clasped her hands on the table.

       “I was at Shorty’s Saloon in the bathroom." She felt the nerves building up in her stomach.

       “And why were you there?”

       “I . . . work there . . . and had to use the bathroom.”

       “So, I am going to assume this means you had no alcohol in your system?”

       “No, Officer, I hadn’t had anything that night.”

       “And did it seem that Mr. Hardy had?”

       “Yes, Ma’am,” she responded quietly.

       “Was it to the point where he didn’t know what was going on or maybe even that he didn’t even know who you were?”

       “Um, no. He knew what he was doing. He told me why.”

       Nicole shot her eyes up at the new information. “What did he tell you, Ms. Earp?” She asked gently, sitting forward in her seat a bit.

       “He, uh . . . he said . . .” Waverly waved her hand at the camera and the redhead quickly stopped the recording.  “I’m sorry. I haven't thought about that part in a while,” she mumbled, bringing her hands to her face.

       “It's ok, take your time. There’s no rush.” Nicole felt her heart shatter into pieces as she watched a few tears roll down the brunette’s face. She knew she couldn’t do anything about it. No matter how much she cared for her, she was not going to break protocol any more than she already had. “Wo-would you like some water?” She asked shakily. Waverly nodded her head and Nicole quickly walked out of the room. She entered the break room and placed her hands on the counter, dropping her head. She let out a few deep breaths and blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to push the tears that wanted to fall away. She poured herself a cup of the cold coffee that had been at the bottom of the pot for a few hours and chugged it, trying to push all of her feelings back down. She rubbed her hands up and down her face and decided she was ready to go back in there. She grabbed a cup and placed it under the nozzle of the plastic tank, filling it with water.

       Waverly looked up as she heard the buzz of the lock on the door. Nicole stepped back into the room and set a cup of water in front of her. “Thanks,” she mumbled.

       “My pleasure,” the Officer said with a dimpled smile, taking a seat and going back to her notes. She jotted down a few more things and glanced up at the girl. “Just tell me whenever you are ready to begin again.”

       Waverly rubbed her hands on her eyes and cracked her knuckles. “I think I'm good,” she sighed, taking a final sip of water.

       Nicole eyed her. “Are you sure?” She asked, her regular self coming through.

       “I'm sure,” she confirmed.

       Nicole nodded and started the camera. “Case number 42048: Earp vs Hardy Clip 2. Date is March 16, 2016, and it is 3:50 PM. Sheriff’s Deputy Nicole Haught still interviewing Ms. Waverly Earp.” She scooted her chair in. “You can go ahead and continue where we left off.”

       Waverly cleared her throat. “When he snuck up on me, he said something along the lines of “I’m gonna show you how much you need me” and “You didn’t mean what you said earlier”.”

       “I see. What was he referring to there?”

       “I broke up with him earlier that day. We were together for 4 years, and I couldn’t deal with his bullsh-crap anymore,” she huffed, crossing her arms and biting the inside of her lip.

       “What caused you to break up with him?”

       “Well . . . he was so inconsiderate. Didn’t care about anyone but himself. And it didn’t help that he cheated on me every other week.”

       Nicole nodded and swallowed. “So . . . what was the first thing that happened after you entered the bathroom?” She asked, staring right into Waverly’s eyes. “You can go ahead and go through it all if you’d like. Up to you, Ms. Earp.” 

       Waverly scooted her chair in and rested her arms on the table. “I walked into the bathroom and went to the handicapped stall. I had just opened the door when I felt . . . hands on my waist. I turned around and saw Champ staring at me . . . I tried to get him to let go, but he just held on harder . . . He pushed me against the wall . . .” Tears started welling up in her eyes again. She pushed them away, though. She wanted to be able to get through this. “He just wouldn’t stop. He kept telling me that he loved me and that he was going to make it better . . . I was screaming and he tried to shut me up by kissing me, but I was batting my head around, trying to do something . . . he was grinding on me and for some reason enjoying it . . . and then he started . . .” Waverly brought her hands to her face. “Don’t stop it just give me a second,” she mumbled.

       “Yes, Ma’am,” Nicole responded, chewing her cheek.

       Waverly pushed her hands through her hair and let out a shaky breath. “Ok, I’m good.” Waverly stood and sat back down on her right leg, pushing it under her left. “He started pushing his hand up my shirt and grabbing my . . . ya know,” she sniffled, signaling to her chest. “I couldn’t do anything, and then he brought his hands down to my shorts and tried to pull them down, but he couldn’t; they were too tight . . . I still have scratches from him clawing at them,” she said, almost a whisper at the end. She subconsciously brought her hand down to her hip and rubbed it slightly, feeling the raised marks under her shirt.

       Nicole kept a straight face, but she couldn’t help but think back to when her own hands were on her hips. She hadn’t felt anything there. “What happened next, Ms. Earp?” She asked. To her relief, her voice didn’t break. Hearing Waverly tell this story with all the information she hadn’t known yet was _very_ difficult for her.

       “Well, he used his brain, for once, and started to try and undo the button on my pants, but . . .” She looked up at Nicole with tears rolling down her face and a small smile forming on her lips. “Then my hero came along.” Nicole’s mouth opened, corners turning upwards into a smile. She closed her mouth, licking her top lip and tapping her pen on the corner of the table. Waverly let the tears roll as she looked straight into the camera. “Sheriff’s Deputy Haught rushed in and knocked Champ out before he could do anything else to me.” She looked back at the Officer, who was looking away and wiping a tear from her cheek. “Y-you need anything else?” She asked.

       The redhead shook her head. “End of Waverly Earp’s interview,” she stammered before stopping the recording. She slowly walked around to Waverly’s side of the table and sat on the edge, looking into her teary hazel eyes. She stood and stepped in between Nicole’s legs, bringing her hands gently up to her cheeks and wiping the tears from them.

       “You didn’t have to say that. I’m no hero,” she said, trying to keep herself together.

       Waverly dropped her hands to her thighs and pushed their foreheads together. “Yes, you are. You are my hero, Nicole Haught . . . Who knows what would have happened if you wouldn’t have been there.”

       “I-it could have been anyone,” she mumbled.

       She pulled her off the table and into a hug. “Well, I am _so_ glad it was you,” she whispered, squeezing her a little harder.

       “I am too, Baby,” she breathed, taking in the scent of her fruity shampoo. She stepped out of the hug after a bit and dropped to a knee, eyeing Waverly and rolling her shirt up. “Did he really scratch you up?” She asked quietly, a hint of concern in her voice as she ran her hand along the area below her belly button, noting how toned her core was. _Not the time, Haught_. She bent the hem of her jeans down and saw it: three almost identical red lines on her right hip that were now fading with small dots of scabs scattered throughout them. 

       “I didn’t notice it until the next day,” she admitted quietly. “I even showered that night, but I didn’t see or feel them. It's kinda weird, actually.” She shrugged.

       Nicole stood back up. “Do you have anything else?” She asked, sitting back on the table.

       “No-” Waverly rubbed her wrist and felt soreness so she looked at it, noticing the slight bruising on the underside of it from his tight grip on them. Her eyes bulged out as she checked the other, seeing it was the same way. “Oh my God,” she breathed shakily, holding her arms up, showing Nicole with fear in her eyes. “Why did I not notice this before!?”

       Nicole took her left arm and gently rubbed her thumb over it. “I don't know . . . Maybe your body told you to ignore it or something.” She thought for a second. “I should, uh, probably take pictures of all that for evidence . . . If you are ok with that.” 

       “Yea, yes, of course. Obviously,” she stammered.

       Nicole pulled her phone out and opened her camera. Waverly held her arms up in front of her chest, knuckles facing up, and she snapped a picture. She took another with the flash on. She glanced down at Waverly’s hip and the smaller girl nodded in consent. Nicole took a knee again and pulled her shirt up. “Can you hold that up like that?” She asked softly. Waverly took the fabric. Nicole flipped the hem of her jeans to the inside and kept her hand there so it didn’t flip up. She took a picture with and without the flash, fixing her jeans when she was done. “I’ll . . . send those to Nedley for processing.” She gave Waverly a small smile and rubbed her arm. An idea popped into her head. The Officer turned on her heel and walked to the camera with a smirk on her face. She unscrewed it from the tripod and grabbed the paper from the table, handing it out to her. “Take this and make yourself comfy in my office. I need to figure out what to do with the camera and then I will give you a ride home, ok?”

       “Ok . . . Wynonna said Gus was hanging out there today, so maybe she is still there and you can say hello? ” She ran her finger down Nicole’s arm.

       “That sounds nice.”

       They headed towards the door. “Speaking of Wynonna, have you heard from her?”

       “Nope. She's probably boning Doc . . . or Dolls . . . _or both_.” She shivered.

       Waverly laughed. “I don't think either of those boys would be into that,” she commented. “Well, maybe Doc.”

       Nicole let out a little snort and gave Waverly a shove. “Go,” she laughed, motioning towards her office. Waverly chuckled and walked away. She waited in the break room until she was out of sight and began fast-forwarding the footage on the camera. She paused it and walked back to the holding cells, grabbing an apple and checking to make sure Waverly wasn’t watching her. She entered the foul-smelling, dark room and walked up to the cell.

       He was laying down, facing away from her. She chucked the apple at the back of his head. He sat up quickly and faced her, squinting his eyes and glancing down at the camera in her hand. “What do you want?” The boy-man growled.

       “Nothing,” she sighed, leaning against the wall.  

       “Then why are you in here?”

       “Well. I just wanted to update you on your . . . _situation,_ ” she said, making a pouty face.

       “Unless I am getting out of here, I don’t care.” He propped his head up on his fist and rested his elbow on his knee.

       “Oh, Champ, the only way you are getting out of here is when your sorry ass is hauled off the Big House,” she said with a chuckle.

       He let out a laugh. “Oh yea? How can you be so sure, _Officer Haught_? You have _nothing_. I'm sure I will be a free man tomorrow.”

       “I wouldn't get your hopes up,” she sighed and pressed play on the camera.

       Waverly’s voice filled the room. She pulled her phone out of her pocket as it played. “He started pushing his hand up my shirt and grabbing my . . . ya know. I couldn’t do anything, and then he brought his hands down to my shorts and tried to pull them down, but he couldn’t, they were too tight . . . I still have scratches from him clawing at them.” She paused it and looked up at him with an annoying smile.

       “Tha-that proves nothing. Y-you can’t prove anything with that . . . _right?_ ” He was now standing at the cell door, gripping the bars with white knuckles.

       Nicole shoved her phone in his face, the picture of her scratched hip on screen. His bruised face went pale. “Still think you will be a free man tomorrow?” She asked with a laugh, shoving her phone back in her pocket. “Enjoy that apple, by the way. It might be the best thing you’ll eat for a long time.” Champ stood frozen at the cell bars. She walked out with a wave, slamming the door behind her.

       Sure, what she just did was totally illegal, but was it worth it? Hell yes.

       In Nedley’s office she pulled a sticky note off the stack and jotted a note down:

**_Interview done. 2 clips._ **

**_Thanks again, Boss._ **

**_May or may not have scared Champ with it. Whoops._ **

**_-Your fav Deputy :)_ **

       She stuck the note to the camera and walked out, heading into her own office. Waverly was reading the degree hanging on her wall. She turned around with a smirk when she heard her come in. “Nicole Rayleigh Haught, huh?” She teased with a laugh.

       The sound of her middle name made her cheeks turn a light shade of pink. “That’s my name, don’t wear it out,” she sighed, walking towards Waverly with her thumbs tucked in her belt.

       Waverly laughed and pulled the redhead close. She bent her head up near her ear. “More like Nicole _Really_ Haught,” she rasped.

       Nicole chuckled and traced her finger along her jawline. “That is a new one,” she whispered, pulling her in for a kiss. Waverly’s lips curved upwards as she arched herself into the Deputy. She pulled back for a millisecond, glancing around and finding the couch. She slowly walked them towards it and reached her hands down, finding the buckle of Nicole’s utility belt. She began to undo it but felt Nicole’s hand reach down to stop her. She pulled away from the kiss. “Waves-”

       “Calm down. You’ll see,” she whispered, bringing her finger to Nicole’s lips.

       She thought about it for a second and shrugged, bringing her hand to the back of Waverly’s neck and continuing the kiss. Waverly found the half-unclasped belt and finished undoing it, tossing it onto the rolly chair and kicking it away. She placed her hands on her chest and pushed the Officer back onto the couch with a cocky smile on her swollen lips. Nicole looked up at her, curiosity in her darkened eyes as she tried to catch her breath. Waverly let out a giggle and straddled the redhead, grinding her hips into her as she kissed across her cheek and down her neck.

       Nicole threw her head back with a moan and balled the extra fabric of Waverly’s shirt in her fists when the smaller one nibbled on her pulse point. “Fuck, Waves,” she muttered, gripping her ass.

       Waverly moved her way back up to her lips with a small chuckle. Nicole let out a low groan and traced her tongue along her bottom lip, asking for access. She opened her lips, taking the redhead’s tongue in her mouth. She placed her hand on the back of Nicole’s head as their tongues began to twist together. She could feel the pool of arousal in between her legs as she sunk deeper into the Deputy's lap. And the ache in her centre was becoming a _little_ too much. She brought her hands down and slid them under Nicole’s butt, wiggling her fingers a little bit. Nicole got the message, lifting her hips and scooting her body so her back was almost flat against the back of the couch. The smaller one let out a moan as Nicole made her way down her neck, kissing the hickey she had left earlier. She slid her hands under her shirt, rubbing her thumbs across her toned abs, causing Waverly to jerk her hips forward. “ _Shit_!” The redhead let out a giggle as the continued on her neck. Waverly shifted onto Nicole’s thigh, gasping at the new pressure her jeans placed on her clit. She pulled her head back and looked into the Officer’s eyes then glanced down to her thigh. She looked back up at Nicole, who now had a smirk plastered across her face.

       She bit her lip and brought her head to Waverly’s ear. “If you don’t cum through those jeans, I will be _very_ disappointed,” she breathed huskily in her officer voice, the hot air sending chills down Waverly’s spine and a new rush of arousal between her legs. Waverly slowly pulled her head back, wide-eyed. Nicole was now wearing the cocky smile.

       Her lips formed a smirk. “ _Yes, Ma’am._ ”

       She forced her mouth against Nicole’s and began to slowly roll her hips. She didn't think she had ever been so turned on in her life. She didn’t know what it was. The way Nicole had just asked her to do that or that she was grinding on the most beautiful girl she had ever laid her eyes on. But whatever it was was working, for she was letting out some extremely loud moans for a police station with other people in it. She sped up her rhythm and felt Nicole’s hands press against her lower back. She looked up at her, and by the look on Nicole’s face, got the message. She scooted farther up her leg to where her knee was pressed completely in between Nicole’s legs. The sudden pressure and movement excited a moan from the redhead and caused her to dig her fingers into Waverly’s back. Her tongue slipped out from in between her teeth as she watched Nicole throw her head back. She took this opportunity to start kissing her neck again. She leaned in, unintentionally adding more pressure to her clit, and began kissing up and down her neck. Nicole moved her hands to her waist and sat up a bit, allowing Waverly to slip her hands under her arms and behind her back. Waverly paused the kissing as she felt her centre start to throb and her body heat up. She rested her head against Nicole’s shoulder and dug her fingers into her back.

       “Fuck, I’m gonna cum,” she breathed, moving her hips as fast as they could go. She squished her eyes together and the sound of Nicole moaning in her ear sent her toppling over the edge. Waverly called her name in a moan and rode out her orgasm, slowing her hips as her clit became more and more sensitive. Nicole looked up at her, biting her lip, and slid one arm under her ass and the other behind her back, picking her up completely and turning them. She set her down so her head was on the arm of the couch and propped her leg up a bit, easing herself onto it. She slid her hands up Waverly’s back and gripped her hands around the tops of her shoulders, grinding fiercely against Waverly’s leg as she slipped her tongue into the gorgeous girl’s mouth. It only took a mere 20 seconds until the redhead was letting out a few lengthy groans as she rode out her own climax, staring into Waverly's eyes. 

       “Holy shit,” she mumbled, dropping her whole body onto the smaller girl’s, still trying to catch her breath.

       Waverly brought her legs around and wrapped them behind Nicole’s back, crossing her ankles. She showered her sweaty face with kisses. “Holy shit, indeed.” Nicole pushed herself up and Waverly released her legs. She flopped against the other end of the couch, crossing her arms over her head. Waverly sat up and looked at the Officer with a shy smile. “I’ve never got there . . . with anyone before,” she mumbled, causing Nicole to sit up quickly.

       “What?!” She gasped, raising her eyebrows. “You are telling me that on top of _everything else_ , that bastard never made you cum?” Waverly shook her head. “Ugh, men.” She rolled her eyes and swung her legs over the side of the couch, resting her hands on her thighs. A smirk slid on her face when she felt wetness smeared across her right pant leg. “Well, you succeeded. I’m not disappointed,” she said sticking her leg out for Waverly to see.

       Her face turned as red as Nicole’s hair. “Oh my God, I am so sorry! I-”

       “Waves, chill the fuck out. That was kinda the point of all that,” She said with a laugh, rubbing her knee.

       “Oh . . . right.” She looked down, but back up with a smile. “You are pretty good at that, too, I guess.” She swung her legs next to Nicole and she glanced down at the one.

       “Oh boy!” She exclaimed sarcastically, slapping her hands on her cheeks.

       Waverly smacked her on the arm. “You’re such a dork, Haught,” she sighed, standing up. “Pizza?” Nicole swore she had never heard something so beautiful come out of that girl's mouth. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah man 
> 
> So, that happened. 
> 
> This was an emotional rollercoaster of a chapter, but at least we got a happy ending . . . if ya know what I mean, haha.  
> Ok that was bad I am so sorry.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Big things start falling into place starting next chapter, but you guys will have to wait and see what those things are. I shouldn't take as long as I did this time to upload the next one (I Hope)
> 
> Thanks for all the support, guys!
> 
> Also, a mistake I noticed that I can't really fix now. I made this story set in March of 2016, not realizing that Wynonna didn't come back and was not 27 until September of 2016, but we are going to pretend we don't know that, ok?
> 
> You know the comment drill :)


	14. Pick a Number, 1 Through 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Waverly go to dinner but get an unfortunate interruption.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I said this was going up yesterday, but it is 12 AM right now, so I only lied a little, ok, don't yell at me. 
> 
> This was actually a really fun chapter to write, so I hope you guys enjoy reading it as well. 
> 
> Yall in for a surprise that isn't really a surprise, but we are gonna call it that. 
> 
> Mk, I'll leave you guys to it, ta ta for now!

       “I heard there is a really good one a few towns over,” Waverly mentioned, stepping into the Police cruiser. “And it's a small family place so there shouldn’t be a big dinner crowd.”

       “Good cause I plan on eating their whole menu,” Nicole said with a laugh. “Those _extracurricular activities_ made me quite hungry.” Waverly blushed at the wink Nicole threw in her direction. She started the car and pulled out of the station parking lot with a shit-eating grin plastered across her face.

       They rode in silence for the first 15 minutes, just enjoying each other’s company, making eye contact every once and awhile. Nicole finally broke it with the question that had been swirling around in her head since they had left. “Hey, Waves?”

       “Yea?”

       “I was, uh, wondering . . . why’d you take my belt off? I don’t care that you did, I’m just . . . _wondering_.” She glanced back and forth between her and the road.

       A guilty smile slowly appeared on Waverly’s face. “Well, I didn’t want your radio to get switched on and the whole police force hearing that. And I was kinda afraid your gun would go off, so . . .” She blushed.

       “Hmm,” she nodded in agreement. “Look at you, thinking ahead, putting that big brain of your's to good use.” 

       About 5 minutes later, Waverly had a question of her own. “What’d you do with the camera while you were gone?” She asked, squeezing Nicole’s hand slightly.

       “I put it on Nedley’s desk,” she answered slowly, raising an eyebrow at Waverly when noticed she was squinting at her.

       “Nic,” she coaxed with an endearing smile. “What _else_ did you do with the camera?”

       “Nothing,” she insisted, biting the inside of her lip. She knew Waverly wasn’t actually mad. She thought it was quite adorable, the effort she was putting in to make it seem that way.

       “I don’t think it takes 7 minutes to put a camera on your boss’s desk that is 2 rooms away from your own.”

       “You timed me?” Nicole asked with a nervous smile.

       “That is not the point,” she fussed, crossing her arms. “Just tell me what he said.”

       “Huh?”

       Waverly sighed, shaking her head. “I know you went to bother Champ, I'm not stupid, Nicole. What did he do? I wanna know.” She drummed her fingers along the Deputy's arm and stared at her, waiting for an answer.

       Nicole’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink and her jaw dropped open in surprise. She closed her mouth and cleared her throat. “I think I made him shit himself,” she mumbled, holding back a laugh. “He tried to tell me we had nothing on him, so I _kinda maybe_ proved him otherwise.” She looked at Waverly with a scared grin, teeth and all.

       The brunette wacked her on the arm. “Nicole! That is like 110% illegal! What if he tells someone!?”

       “Oh, trust me, he won’t. Doc and Dolls drilled it into his head that if he told anyone anything we did to him, _terrible_ things would happen. He is just too stupid to realize that’s not true.” She scooped Waverly’s hand up and kissed her knuckles, making her relax a little.

       She looked up at Nicole and rolled her eyes. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do with you,” she sighed.

       Nicole kissed her knuckles again. “I have a few ideas,” she said under her breath with a grin.

       Waverly gasped and started smacking her repeatedly. “Oh my god, _quit_! You are like a teenage boy!” Nicole tried to block her flailing arms, laughing profusely. “You just missed your turn because of that, Dumbass.”

       Nicole leaned forward, checking her mirrors. She slowed, pulling into a gas station parking lot, and made a u-turn. “Ahhh, I don’t care. That was funny,” she wheezed, wiping her eyes from the tears that were starting to form.

       “I hate you,” Waverly pouted.

       Nicole pulled into the small parking lot, labeled “Mama’s Pizza House”. “Aw, no you don’t,” she cooed, putting the car in park.

       Waverly looked over at her, trying to hide a smirk. “Mmm. You’re lucky you’re cute,” she grumbled, stepping out of the car.

       “Some would even say _Haught_.” She walked around to Waverly, who was mid-eye roll.

       “You get awful cocky after your world gets rocked, huh?” She teased, giving her a smack on the rear.

       “I suppose so,” she said through a smile as she placed her hands on her waist, pulling her in for a kiss. “Ms. Earp, are we calling this outing a date?”

       Waverly chuckled into the next kiss. “Indeed, we are,” she confirmed, tracing her finger down the redhead’s spine.

       Nicole gave her a smile and pulled back, removing her hat and swinging it out in front of her. “After you, Ma’am.” Waverly smiled bashfully and walked towards the building, holding her hand out behind her for Nicole, who gladly took it. They walked into the restaurant. It had an urban look with brick walls and was beautifully furnished, much to both of their surprise. A younger woman greeted them and took them to their booth. They ordered their drinks and settled in, skimming over the menu. 

       “It smells amazing in here!” Waverly exclaimed, leaning back in her seat.

       “I know right! I’m glad you suggested this place, it's really nice,” Nicole agreed, setting her hat on the booth next to her, looking around. She saw the waitress returning to their table with their drinks. After setting them down, she pulled out her tablet and a pen.

       “Are you lovely ladies ready to order?”

       “Yes, Ma’am, we are,” Nicole responded. The waitress took both their orders and turned away with a sweet smile.

       “If their food is as good as everything else here, I might have a new favorite restaurant,” Waverly said, swinging her legs under the table.

       “Not me. Nothing can outdo good ole Taco Bell,” Nicole gave her a wink and moved her eyes to the TV on the wall behind her. “Ok, nevermind, they’re playing Spongebob, I’m sold!” She threw her arms in the air. Waverly laughed. What wasn’t there to love about this girl? She gazed into Nicole’s eyes that were glued to the TV and didn’t even care that they weren’t talking because the smile on her face was to die for. She came back to reality when their food arrived a little bit later.

       “Thank you!” They chorused as the waitress slid their pizzas in front of them.

       “Enjoy your meal,” she said as she walked away. When she was out of earshot, Waverly let out an excited giggle as she picked up a square of her pizza. Nicole looked at her with an adoring smile. She took a bite, and her eyes rolled back.

       “Oh my god, Baby,” she moaned. “It’s-”

       “Didn’t think I would be hearing _that_ again tonight,” she mumbled, taking a bite of her own pizza.

       Waverly almost choked as her eyes bugged out of her head. “Nicole!” She hissed.  

       “What?” She smirked, taking a sip of her drink.

       “We are in public!”

       “Sorry! I just couldn’t miss a golden opportunity like that. You just make it too easy, Waves.”

       “I do n- . . . Just watch your damn Spongebob and be quiet,” she sighed, shaking her head.

       “But this is our first date! We haven’t even played 20 questions yet!”

       “Wait, can we actually do that? That sounds fun,” Waverly asked, pulling her legs up and sitting criss-cross.

       Nicole smiled. “I was totally kidding, but now thinking about it, that does sound fun,” She agreed, digging her phone out of her pocket. “Lemme look up questions.” Waverly giggled and took another bite of pizza. “Ok, first one. When’s your birthday? I know that already, Ms. Virgo.”

       “I don’t know yours though,” Waverly added.

       “January 5th,” she answered with a mouthful.

       “I'm pretty sure Capricorns and Virgos are very compatible,” she pointed out.

       “Hmm, good to know.” They continued on with the game, going through an assortment of different questions, learning more and more about each other each time.

       Nicole checked her phone. They were nearing the last question. “What’s your favorite animal?”

       “Oooh, unicorns!” Waverly smiled, bouncing in her seat. Nicole looked up at her with soft eyes and placed her hand on top of her’s, mouth curled upwards. “What?” She asked after a few seconds.

       “Nothing. That was just . . . adorable,” she answered quietly. “You’re adorable.”

       The brunette’s cheeks flushed a dark shade of pink. Nicole leaned across the table and gave her a kiss, bringing her hand up to her cheek. She sat back down and they both smiled at each other. That peaceful moment didn’t last long, though.

       “Get a room!” A voice snarked from the table next to them. Nicole’s eyebrows shot up and she turned to him. There was a man, woman, and a younger daughter, probably 6 or 7.

       “ _Excuse me_?” She demanded in her Officer tone.

       “Nic, don’t. Ignore it,” Waverly advised under her breath, gripping her wrist. Nicole eyed her an assurance before snapping her head back to the man. The brunette clenched her jaw.  

       “I  _said_ get a room! This is a family restaurant!"

       “Gabriel, calm down,” his wife whispered.

       “Sir, I’m not sure what the problem is. Do you mind filling me in?” Nicole asked calmly, inching closer to the edge of the booth.

       Waverly slid her hand up to Nicole’s upper arm, trying to pull her back. “Let it go, Babe,” she coaxed, nervously glancing at the man.

       “We are trying to have ourselves a nice family dinner, and it is being _every so rudely_ interrupted by you two _making out_ right next to us. _Disgusting_.” Nicole’s upper lip twitched in anger with the last word.

       “Gabriel!” The lady hushed. 

       “Sir, I am sorry to tell you, but my girlfriend and I were not  _making out_. We shared one kiss, which is perfectly legal.” Waverly’s eyebrows went up when she called her her “girlfriend”, but she quickly brought herself back to reality. Nicole swung her legs to the outside of the booth, and Waverly swore she saw steam coming out of her ears. She scooted closer to the edge, just in case. “If I were a man, would you have a problem with it?”

       “ _Nicole_ ,” she warned, tightening her grip on her arm. The Deputy looked at her, clenching her jaw. Waverly noticed that people were staring at this point.

       “Of course not. I just don’t like _faggots_ near my daughter.” And with that, Nicole was up out of her seat and charging for the man.

       “ _What did you just call her, you mother-_!”

       She hadn’t even made it 4 steps before Waverly was in front of her, holding her hand in over her mouth and pushing her backward. “Nicole! He is not worth it! Look at me! Stop it!” She pleaded in an attempt to calm her down, and after a few seconds, Nicole stopped pushing. Waverly dropped her hand from her mouth and placed it on her stomach.

       Nicole looked down at her, face beet red with anger. She looked back up at the man who was, _big shocker_ , trying to shield himself with his wife. She let out a breath and realized she was gripping Waverly’s waist very tight. She let go and looked into her worried eyes. “I-I’m s-sorry,” she stuttered, dropping her head.

       Waverly shook her head. “Shh, it's ok. Let’s sit back down.” She wrapped her arm around her waist and walked them back to the booth, pushing Nicole's cup of water towards her. “Drink.” The redhead slowly did so. They both jumped when they heard a new voice next to them.

       “What seems to be the problem, Officer?” An older lady asked kindly.

       “Uhhm, I’m sorry for the disturbance, Ma’am, Just got a little worked up over his words, that’s all. We will pay and be out of your hair,” she answered, placing her Stetson back on her head.

       “Oh, hush, you. Scoot!” She flapped her hands at Waverly and she did so. The lady sat down next to her, looking up at Nicole.

       “Oh, child, who hit you?” She winced, looking at her face.

       “My sister,” Waverly sighed a laugh. 

       “Ah . . . I see you have 2 protective people in your life then, huh?” The lady chuckled, giving Waverly a small smile. She blushed and nodded, looking into Nicole’s eyes. “Sorry, I get distracted easily. What was I going to say? Oh yes!” She cleared her throat and dropped her voice to a quieter tone. “Mr. Harbison over there has a tendency of putting his nose where it doesn’t belong. And I am terribly sorry that ya’ll business is where it ended up tonight.”

       “It’s alright, Ma’am. Not your fault at all,” Nicole assured.

       “Officer, please, call me Mama.” Nicole nodded. “Well, because of your troubles, your meal's on the house tonight. I don’t want ya'll to think we are all like _that_ around here cause I would really enjoy ya back.”

       “No, no. It's ok. We’ll pay. He isn’t scaring us away, right, Nic?” She asked, eyeing her. 

       “Right,” she answered with a smile.

       “No, no, I insist.”

       “Please, Mama, it's really ok,” Nicole responded.

       “Alright, fine,” she concluded, throwing her arms up. “But you are taking this and you _will_ use it next time you come here.” She pulled her tablet out and jotted some words down, ripping it and handing it to Nicole. It was a handwritten coupon for a free pizza.

       “Well, thank you. Once again, sorry for causing a scene.”

       Mama stood, shaking her head. “Officer, it was not you who started it, you have nothing to be sorry for,” she said kindly. “You two have a good night now, ya hear?”

       “We will, thanks. You too!” Waverly called as she walked away. “She's nice.”

       “Yea,” Nicole agreed softly, rubbing her thumb in circles on top of Waverly’s hand. “Let’s get going.” They gathered their things and walked to the front of the restaurant to pay. “I am paying,” Nicole said flatly, pulling her wallet out of her pocket.

       “No, I got it,” Waverly responded.

       “Waves, I owe you,” she said, pushing her hand down.

       “No, quit.”

       “Pick a number, 1 through 10,” The teen from behind the counter sighed.

       “Uhh, 6,” the Deputy mumbled. 

       “3,” Waverly said, crossing her arms and looking at the waiter.

       “Red, you're paying, number was 8.”

       “Ha,” she teased, handing him her card.

       “You don't want to know how many times I have to do that a week,” he sighed, handing Nicole her card back with a receipt. “Have a good night.” Nicole tipped her hat and they walked out the door. 

       As they made their way back to the car, Waverly noticed Nicole’s jaw was firmly clenched and that she was speeding up. She almost said something but decided against it. Nicole stopped at the hood of the car, resting both hands on it and dropping her head. Waverly picked up her pace to get to her but was too late. Slowly lifting her head, Nicole balled her fist and drilled it into the hood of the car, not once, not twice, but three times. “Jesus Christ, _Nicole_!” Waverly caught her arm, pulling her backward just in time before there was a fourth. She held her wrist and glanced down, noticing the blood splatter on the hood. She looked up at the redhead. A vein in her neck was popping out and her face was almost purple. “Breathe, it’s ok, breathe,” she soothed, slowly walking her to a clean portion of the hood and sitting her down. She looked at her hand. It was bleeding out of the first and second knuckle and was swelling very rapidly.

       “No one should ever say those kinds of things to you,” the redhead growled.

       “Hey, it's ok. It's over now, Nic,” she said softly, stroking her fingers through her hair.

       A tear slid down Nicole’s face. And then another. Before she knew it, she was sobbing in Waverly’s arms. “It’s n-not fair. You are new to th-this and you already got harassed. It's my f-fault, I should have known n-not to d-do anything in th-there,” she stammered, wrapping her arms around the brunette.

       “Oh, Baby . . . Look at me, am I freaking out about some stupid comments some jackass decided he wanted to share to the world? No. So, you don't need to stress about it, I don't care. And quit acting he just said it to me because it was obviously directed at both of us,” she said softly.

       Nicole wiped her face with her uninjured hand. “Yea, well, I’m used to it, have you _met_ my father?” She froze, moving her eyes away from Waverly’s, not wanting to see the fear that stormed into them. “Forget I said that,” she muttered before pushing herself off the car. Waverly swallowed, slowly wrapping her arms around Nicole’s middle, and Nicole curled her arms around her shoulders, holding onto her as if it were for dear life.

       Waverly was the first to pull back after a few minutes. “I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything and everything whenever you’re feeling up to it, you understand?” Nicole nodded. “Good.”

       “Ahem.” They both spun to face the voice. They immediately recognized her as Mr. Harbison's’ wife.

       “May we help you?” Nicole asked, stepping towards her.

       “Nope, _you_ may do no such thing,” the brunette ordered, pointing to the car. Nicole slumped her shoulders and walked to the car, getting in. Once her door was closed, Waverly approached the woman. 

       “Look, I just wanted to say how terribly sorry I am for what my husband said to you two. He tends to be a bit . . . old-fashioned, and I can’t do anything when he starts to go off like that. I don’t know what got into him tonight. But, you two didn’t deserve that kind of embarrassment.” She genuinely looked upset.

       “It's ok, I guess. I’m sorry she almost tore his head off. She tends to be a little . . . protective," Waverly said with a half-smile.

       “ _Trust me_ , I saw. That’s how you know she’s a keeper,” she said with a wink. “I’ll go ahead and leave you two alone now. Goodnight.”

       “Goodnight,” she sighed, turning on her heel towards the car, face tinted red. When she got in, she saw Nicole cleaning her hand up with a first aid kit that had suddenly appeared on her lap. “Where’d that come from?” She asked with a furrowed brow.

       “The glovebox . . . You’re in a police car, Wave,” she replied.

       “Oh yea,” she mumbled.

       “What’d she want?” Nicole sighed, slightly wincing as she patted her wound with a saturated cotton ball.

       “To apologize,” she said, taking the cotton ball and grabbing her wrist to continue cleaning her hand.

       “Oh.” They sat for a little in silence, the only sound being the ever so often wincing from the Officer.

       “Tape and gauze,” Waverly asked, sticking her hand out. She dug around in the box and pulled some out, placing it in her outstretched hand. She laid it over her knuckles and taped it around her hand, finishing it off with a gentle kiss. “All better.”

       “Thank you, Waves,” she said with a smile. It slowly faded. “I’m sorry for making a fool out of us.”

       “No, you didn’t, don’t say that. You were just standing up for us,” she consoled.

       “Yea, well, I should have listened to you and let it go.”

       “Nic, it's fine, ok? I’m not mad. I’d never be mad at you for protecting me." Nicole looked at her with soft eyes. “Let’s go see Gus, huh?”

       “Yea,” she sighed, starting the car and pulling away.

       They rode in silence once again, listening to the radio on low. Waverly had her legs curled up on the seat and was resting her head on her arm propped up on the center console. Her ears perked up as she heard Thinking Out Loud start to play on the radio. Nicole looked down as she felt Waverly’s arms wrap around her's and her head lean on her shoulder. She smiled and scooted closer so the smaller girl didn’t have to lean over as far. She sunk down in her seat, finally relaxing as she felt the vibrations of Waverly humming along to the song. She decided she wanted to take a little detour before they went back to the Homestead.

       “Where’re we going?” Waverly asked, sitting up and looking at the road in front of her, a hint of tiredness in her voice.

       “You’ll have to wait and see,” she answered with a smirk.

       “I don't like surprises,” she grumbled, laying her head back down. Nicole sighed, driving up the incline. She slowed to a stop at the top and tapped Waverly’s hand. She sat up, untangling herself from her arm. “You’re not kidnapping me are you?” She asked, stretching her legs out.

       “Unfortunately not,” she answered with a laugh, stepping out of the car. Waverly followed her with her eyes as she walked around to the trunk. Her vision was obstructed when she opened it, so she unbuckled herself and got out, feeling a chill brush across her face. She looked around, noticing they were on top of a larger hill that overlooked the countryside. “You gonna help me out a little or just stand there?” Nicole called from the other side of the car, hands full. Waverly blushed a bit, walking towards her. She was holding a stack of 2 blankets, with a bottle of whiskey laying on top.

       “You carry booze in your trunk?” She asked, taking it and looking up at Nicole with a goofy smirk on her face.

       “Yep,” she concluded, popping the “p”. “These are required,” she said signaling to the blankets. “That, not so much.”

       “Hmm, good to know,” she said, taking one of the blankets from her injured hand. Nicole began walking towards the drop-off, stretching the blanket out to the best of her ability at the edge. Waverly sighed, setting her stuff down, and walked over to help her. “Maybe _don't_ pummel your car and we won’t have this problem,” she huffed. 

       Nicole gave her a look. “Shut up,” she mumbled.

       Waverly let out a little giggle as she pulled the corners out. “There we go,” she smiled, brushing her knees off. “How’d you find this place?” She picked up the other blanket and the bottle and walked back to join her on the blanket.

       “I was driving up and down the back roads around Purgatory to learn my way around the area when I first got here and stumbled upon it. I figured it’d be a good place to watch the sunset.”

       “Well, you figured correctly. It’s beautiful,” she sighed, sliding in between Nicole’s legs and leaning back on her. Nicole grabbed the second blanket and wrapped it around both of them, pulling it closed and resting her arms in Waverly’s lap. Waverly unscrewed the cap off the bottle and took a swig, feeling the burn travel down her throat. She offered it up to Nicole, who gladly took it. 

       “What a day,” she stated, removing her hat and setting it down next to them.

       “Tell me about it,” Waverly mumbled. “I think this makes it a little better, though, don’t you think?” 

       “Yea, definitely,” she agreed, looking at the reds, oranges, and blues swirled across the sky in front of them.

       They sat there together, making small chit-chat and watching in amazement of the beautiful sight in front of them, passing the bottle back and forth every so often.

       Waverly couldn’t help but smile. Even after all of the horrible things they had to go through today, this moment right here made it worth it. She brought her hand up to Nicole’s cheek and pulled her head down into a kiss. It lasted longer than she had expected, but when Nicole did pull away with that cheeky smile she had been longing to see, she just had to go back for more. She turned around, resting on her knees. The redhead pulled her legs into a criss-cross position, and Waverly crawled into her lap, arching her back into a kiss. She brought her legs behind her back and crossed her ankles. Nicole put her hands on her hips, pushing her shirt up slightly.

       “Your hands are cold!” Waverly shrieked as a chill ran up her spine.

       Nicole chuckled into the next kiss. “How bout you warm them then,” she whispered with a wink. Waverly’s mouth opened slightly and she shook her head with a laugh. She rolled off her lap and pushed her back so she was laying down. Waverly went to crawl on top, but she was stopped by Nicole’s hand. “Wait,” she said with a smirk.

       “What?” She asked nervously.

       Nicole signaled down to her belt. “Don’t you have precautions to take care of first?”

       “Oh my God,” she laughed.

       “I am never letting you live that down. It was just too cute,” she said with a smile.

       “Mhm.” Waverly kneeled in between her legs and undid the belt. She tapped her hip and Nicole lifted up so she could slip it out from underneath her. “You happy now?” 

       “Uh-huh.” Waverly giggled, straddling her. The redhead pulled her head down quickly and continued the kiss, sticking her hands back up her shirt, sending another chill up her spine. The brunette slid her tongue into her mouth, exciting a moan from the redhead. She gasped as she felt Waverly’s hand untucking her shirt from her pants. “Woah there, Cowgirl.” She eyed her nervously. 

       “It's only fair, don't you think?” She replied, wetting her lips.

       “Good point,” she shrugged, bringing her hand to the back of Waverly’s neck, pulling her back down. Waverly yanked the rest of her shirt out and did the same with the tank top underneath. She pulled the redhead’s bottom lip down with her teeth and slid her cold fingers up her sides, sending goosebumps across her whole body. She pushed her hips down as she felt Nicole’s finger’s dig into her waist. “God damn, did you have your hands in ice water or something?!”

       “Oh, I’m sorry, do you not like my _cold fingers_?” She teased as she began tickling her. Nicole’s eyes widened as she began some sort of scream laughing. Waverly let out an evil laugh as she squeezed her thighs around her hips to keep herself upright, for she was flailing her whole body, trying to get her off.

       “No! Waverlyyyy! Quit it! I’ll pee on you, _stop_! Oh my god! People are gonna think you are murdering meee!” She wailed in between laughs, tears streaming down her face. Waverly kept at it, laughing almost as hard as she was.

       Nicole finally bucked her off and she immediately pounced on her before the smaller one could even comprehend what was happening. “Payback’s a bitch!” She uttered as she slid her hands up her shirt, continuing the tickle war.

       Waverly let out a shriek and then erupted into laughter. “Nooo! I’m sorry! Nicoleeee! Nooo! You’re gonna get blood on my shirt! Nic! Stoppp! Truce, truce, truce!” Nicole finally rolled off of her with a sigh, wiping her face. They both laid on their backs for a few seconds, trying to catch their breaths and calm down from their laughing fits.

       Waverly was first to sit up. She grabbed the bottle that was surprisingly still standing upright and took a swig. “Today I learned that _this_ makes you _very_ ticklish,” she sighed, screwing the cap back on.

       Nicole sat up and rested her arms on her knees. She gave Waverly a knowing look. ”You sure that’s what it was?” She asked with a laugh. Waverly glared at her, rolling her eyes. She plopped her head back down on the blanket. Nicole laid next to her and held her hand.

       “You can already see the stars!” She gasped, pointing up with her free hand.

       Nicole hitched her leg up and smiled. “Oop, there’s the Big Dipper,” she added, pointing slightly left.

       “Where?!” She questioned, darting her eyes around in that direction.

       Nicole brought their interlocked hands up and pointed. “Righttt . . . there.”

       Waverly followed her finger up and found it. “Oooo, I see it!” Nicole let out a small chuckle, bringing their hands back down.

       Eventually, Waverly got cold, so she rolled over so her top half was sprawled across Nicole. She brought her leg up so it was slightly covering Nicole’s left one and snuggled her head into her chest. Nicole smiled and began slowly stroking her back.

       “Soooooo . . . girlfriend, huh?” The brunette asked, slowly sliding her now warm hand up her shirt.

       Nicole’s eyes shot open and her face turned a dark red. She had hoped Waverly hadn’t quite caught that part from earlier to save herself from this situation. “Uhhh . . . I- uhm, I didn’t know what to- uhm.” She couldn't figure out how to word it.

       “Well, I could get used to it,” Waverly suggested, looking up at Nicole with a sweet, but nervous smile.

       “Wh- _Really_?” She asked, a bit shocked. 

       Waverly sunk back down. “Yea, why not? . . . I mean, unless that’s not wha-”

       “That is definitely what I want,” Nicole cut in. 

       Waverly let out a breath. “Ok, good. You scared me for a second there.”

       “Oh, Baby, I knew I wanted you the second I pulled you over." 

       Those butterflies flit their way back into Waverly’s stomach, pushing a giggle out of her. “Mmm, glad we are in agreement there.”

       “And I hope we are also in agreement that we should get going because your arm is, like, _right_ on my bladder, which is not really helping my situation right now,” Nicole said with a grunt as they both sat up.

       “Sorry,” Waverly winced with a blush as they gathered their things. She popped Nicole’s hat on her head with a pat and they walked back to the car. Waverly neatly folded the blankets as Nicole struggled to fasten her belt. She stacked everything back in the trunk and climbed back into the car. “How far away are we?”

       “Like 8 minutes,” Nicole guessed, starting the car.

       They pulled up to the Homestead and Nicole practically jumped out of the car, running inside, almost plowing Gus over.

       “ _Gotta pee, gotta pee, gotta pee!_ ” Waverly heard her chanting as she got out of the car. She shook her head, walking into the house and greeting Gus, who was drying off a cup.

       “Where have you been? I haven’t seen either of my girls since this morning!” She demanded with soft eyes.

       “I was at the station all day and then we . . . _wenttodinner_ \- Wait, Wynonna still isn’t back?! She has been gone all day long!”

       “No, I haven’t seen her. Where’d you see her last?” Gus asked, concern in her voice.

       “She said she had a lead on something and her and Dolls took off. Oh, god, what if she is hurt!” Waverly leaned back on the couch, running her fingers through her hair.

       Gus rubbed her hand up and down her arm. “I’m sure she is fine, that girl knows how to get herself out of every pickle she is in,” she consoled.

       “What are we freaking out about?” Nicole asked, walking out of the bathroom, still trying to buckle her pants.

       “Wynonna’s missing!” Waverly cried, throwing her arms out as she walked closer to Nicole, helping her out a little.

       “Isn’t that her truck . . .?” She asked slowly, pointing out the open door.

       Gus and Waverly spun around, seeing the headlights flip off. Waverly made a sprint for the door. She sawWynonna was walking towards the house. “Nonna! Where the hell-” She stopped when she noticed a woman was with her.

       “Waves, this is one of the women we saved today. I told her she could crash here for a while,” Wynonna stated, stopping to wait for the other woman to catch up to her.

       “Girls, would you kindly get your butts in here an-” Gus froze, dropping the cup she was still holding, glass shattering onto the porch. “ _Willa_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy smokes, another Earp!?
> 
> Wow, big shocker, I know, thank you.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this one! :D


	15. Sid the Science Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang tries to figure out what to do about Willa, and Nicole's hand might be a little worse than they thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I actually have a few important things to note today. 
> 
> First of all, it was brought to my attention yesterday that not all of my comments are showing up right after they are sent, more like a few days later. I don't know if that is just on my end or what, but I'm sorry if I don't see it right away. 
> 
> Second, I was scrolling through songs, trying to find new ones, and I learned that there is a Canadian singer name Jessie Reyez. Had no clue about her when I made up our Jessie Reyes. 
> 
> Hope you guys like this one. The ending is very badly written because I am, big shocker, very exhausted.

       All five of them were in Willa’s old room. The girl was asleep on the bed and they all were quietly chatting in the corner of the room. Wynonna had told them the story about the weird _step-into-the-light cult_ her and Dolls visited and how they found this girl that helped save their lives by shooting Peacemaker successfully.

       “How much propofol did you give her?” Waverly asked, eyeing the girl nervously.

       “Enough to calm her down,” Nicole sighed, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her hand. The pain pills that she had gulped down in the car before Waverly got back in were starting to wear off. “I thought she was gonna hyperventilate to death.”

       “Yea, I know how she feels,” she mumbled. Nicole tightened her grip around her waist. “How can a woman recently sprung from a hippie forest cult be our big sister Willa? I don't know her at all!”

       “Dude, none of us do,” Wynonna grumbled, turning and walking out of the room, heading downstairs. They all followed. “How do you think she feels?”

       “ _She_ doesn't even know _she's_ herself, Wynonna, so-”

       “Girls, please!” Gus scolded, sitting down on the chair in the kitchen. Wynonna let out an annoyed sigh, leaning against the sink, and Waverly and Nicole stood next to each other near the other end of the room. “I know this is all overwhelming . . . but it’s also a second chance.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Good lord, the whole town will be upended!” 

       “We can’t tell anyone,” Wynonna snapped. “We don't even know if it is her!”

       “I could run a DNA test,” Nicole butted in.

       Gus and Wynonna looked over at her. “Wait, really?” The Heir asked.

       “Uh, yea . . . I have a friend around here that is into all that sciency forensic stuff,” she confirmed. “I’d need both of your DNA so he could run them against her's. Results would probably be back . . . tomorrow maybe . . . if I ran them to him tonight?”

       “You’d do that for us?” Waverly asked, grabbing her arm with a smile.

       “Yea . . . Of course. I’ll do anything to help you guys get to the bottom of this.”

       “Oh, Officer. Thank you,” Gus gushed, pulling her into a very tight hug.

       “Yep, no problem,” she groaned. Gus pulled away with an apologetic smile. “But please, call me Nicole."

       “Not when you’re in uniform,” she returned.

       Nicole nodded. “Ok, I need spit swabs from you guys, so I’ll need . . .” She thought for a second. “Doctor gloves, q-tips _that you do not touch the ends on please be careful about that,_  plastic baggies, and a Sharpie. Annnd, hey, _do not drink_  anything from this point on! It will interfere with the results!”

       “Got it!” Both Earps called at the same time, heading in different directions to scour the house for the materials.

       Nicole was explaining to Gus the process of DNA testing when Waverly and Wynonna trotted back into the kitchen, carrying the needed items. “Now what?” Wynonna asked, setting her arm full down.

       Nicole gave her a look as she somehow managed to slap a glove on her uninjured hand. “Now I’m gonna rub this all over the inside of your mouth,” she said with a smirk, picking up a q-tip. “And you’re lucky contestant number 1.”

       She parked her truck in the chair next to Nicole and scooted closer to her. “Is this gonna be like a strep test?” She whined.

       “I don’t know, you tell me,” she replied as she quickly grabbed Wynonna’s chin and yanked her mouth open, rubbing the q-tip all along the inside of her cheek and down near her gum line. She winced slightly as her bad hand was being stretched out with her grip on her face. Waverly and Gus broke into a fit of laughter as they watched Wynonna bat her head around, making slight gagging noises. After a few more seconds, Nicole pulled her hand out.

       “You’re an ass, Haught Pocket,” Wynonna mumbled, standing up and rubbing her chin where her grip was.

       Nicole snickered as she bent the end off that she didn't have in her mouth, and dropping the used part into the bag, marking it, _A_. “I know, thanks,” she replied, giving Wynonna a shit-eating grin. She rolled her eyes, flipping her the bird as she turned around to pull some booze out of the cabinet. “Mk, your turn, Waves,” the Deputy said, looking up at her with a soft smile.

       “You’re not gonna manhandle me, are you?” She asked, sitting down in the chair.

       “No, no, of course not! That was just the only way I knew _she_ would actually do it.”

       “You could have tried asking nicely,” the Older Earp retorted. 

       “Yea, ooook,” Nicole and Waverly mocked simultaneously, then laughing when they realized they said the same thing.

       “Mmm, you two are _hilarious_. Hey, Waves, you might need to, ya know, _wash your mouth out_ , just to make sure none of Haughty’s DNA is left in there,” she popped off. Nicole’s eyes shot open, flicking between Wynonna and Gus.

       “Wynonna!” Waverly hissed. 

       Gus smacked her on the arm. “Hey! You leave those girls alone! Don’t joke with people if you can’t take one! Go on, now, check on Willa!” She ordered, pointing out of the room. Wynonna’s shoulders sank and she stomped out, heading for the stairs. “Ornery child,” she mumbled, turning around and going back to the dishes she had started earlier.

       Nicole brought her eyes to Waverly, mouth dropped open. She was trying to say something, but couldn’t. Waverly stared back at her, the same terrified look on her face. “Is she mad?” She finally managed in an almost-silent whisper.

       “I don’t . . . think so,” she muttered, looking over to her aunt, who was humming some song and moving her hips as she washed.

       “Ok, I hope not,” she sighed, picking up the second q-tip.

       “There is absolutely no way we can make this cute or sexy so just go for it, ok?” Nicole nodded with a blush and did so very gently. When she was done, she bent off the other end like the last one and placed it in a new baggie, labeling it _Y_. “Why _Y_ and _A_?” She asked, standing up and running her finger over Wynonna’s bag.

       “I don't want him to know that it's your stuff he is testing. And your lovely parents started your name’s with the same letter, so I used the last one instead.”  

       Waverly was slightly upset she hadn’t figured that out for herself. “Ooooh, very smart,” she smirked, wrapping her arms around Nicole’s neck as she stood and pulling her in for a kiss. Nicole chuckled and smacked her hand down onto Waverly’s butt, gripping it. Waverly let out a gasp, pulling her lip down with her teeth.

       “Officer Haught, if you just smacked my baby’s rump in my presence, I’m going to come over and do the same to you,” Gus warned, giving them the side-eye.

       “ _And_ we’re running!” Waverly announced, grabbing the Sharpie, baggie, and q-tip with one hand and Nicole’s hand with the other. They dashed up the stairs, laughing as Waverly tripped halfway up. 

       “Remind me to never get on her bad side,” Nicole sighed, looking down at her hand when they reached the top.

       Waverly noticed. “Yea, I wouldn’t recommend it,” she added, gently picking up her hand and examining it. “ _Tss_ , why’s it bleeding again?”

       “I think I hit it on my way up, I dunno,” she shrugged.

       “Cmon, Clutz,” she sighed, heading towards the bathroom.

       “Aren’t you the one who fell _up_ the stairs?” 

       “Aren’t you the one who _brought_ the whiskey?” Waverly retorted, placing her hand on her shoulder and pushing her down onto the toilet seat with a smile. “Lemme see it.”        

       Nicole let out a sarcastic groan, lifting her injured hand up to the brunette and placing the back of her other hand on her forehead. “Dr. Waverly, you have to help me! I have a boo boo!”

        Waverly gave her a look as she flipped her hand over and started peeling the tape off her palm. She got it off and slowly started peeling the gauze that had stuck to her knuckles. “ _Oh, Nicole_.” She brought it closer to her face. Nicole was a bit shocked when she looked down at it, too. It was terribly swollen and bruised around her middle knuckle, almost two times worse than earlier. They also confirmed that it was, indeed, bleeding again. “This knuckle might be broken.” She looked up at Nicole and swallowed.

       “I’m fine, Waves. It would hurt a lot more if it was broken. And I probably wouldn’t be able to open my hand,” she said, placing her good hand on her cheek.

       Waverly gave her an uncertain look. “Open it then,” she ordered, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows.

       Nicole started to say something but didn’t. She grabbed her wrist with her other hand and began slowly stretching out her fingers, holding her breath. “Fuck!” She yelped as she reached halfway open, almost tumbling forward, for she was lightheaded. She grabbed onto Waverly’s outstretched arm and pushed herself upright.

       “What are you two bickering ab- _Holy shit_ , Haught Hands, what the fuck did you do?!” Wynonna shrieked, barreling into the bathroom and snatching her hand up, making Nicole’s eyes to pop out.

       “Oh, you motherfucker!!” She growled through her teeth.

       Waverly smacked Wynonna. “WYNONNA!” She screamed.

       Wynonna quickly released her grip and threw her hands up. “Sorry! But, seriously, what did you do? I’ve never seen anything like that! It’s, like, popping out of there, dude!”

       “Yes, Wynonna, we are aware. That is why we are going to the ER,” the younger girl grumbled, raising her eyebrows at her girlfriend.

       “Uh, no we’re not,” she corrected. “I still have to run those swabs to Sid the Science Kid.”

       “No, that can wait, Babe. What if there is something really wrong?” Waverly argued.

       Nicole stood up and placed her hand on her shoulder. “Hey, I promise, first thing tomorrow we will go, ok? But, right now, you guys _really_ need answers.”

       “Haughty’s right, Waves . . . We really need to figure out what is going on here,” Wynonna added.

       Waverly clenched her jaw, looking up at Nicole. She let out an annoyed sigh. “Ok, fine, _but_ that means you are staying here tonight so I can make sure you don’t bleed out or anything like that,” she huffed, poking her chest.

       “Mm, don’t need to tell me twice,” Nicole mumbled with a smirk, pulling Waverly in for a kiss.

       Wynonna let out a very exaggerated gag and they pulled away from each other chuckling. “You better leave room for Jesus on that bed and you know what I mean by that. I _will come_  and break your other hand. You hear me, Haught Stuff?” Wynonna glared at her, wagging her finger, waiting for an answer. Waverly had to hide her head behind Nicole to shield her blush.

       “Ye-yea, obviously, Wynonna,” she answered, holding in a laugh. Wynonna nodded and walked out, heading back to Willa’s room. When she was for sure out of earshot, they both started cackling.

       “I fear for your life when she finds out,” Waverly sighed, wiping her eyes.

       “Ditto,” Nicole replied.

       “Ahh, ok, lemme rewrap your hand.”

       “Actually, I plan on running back to my house to shower and pack a bag, so there’s really no point,” she said, throwing her thumb over her shoulder.

       “Oh, ok. Well, let’s go get Willa’s sample. It's already 10 o’clock and I don’t want you out too late.”

       “Ok, _Mom_ ,” she teased, placing her hand on the small of her back and walking out of the bathroom.

       They entered her room and saw Wynonna going through Willa’s old things. “You better hurry up, she is starting to move around a little bit,” Wynonna warned. Nicole nodded and walked up beside her bed. She slowly pulled her mouth open and rubbed the swab around quickly. She put it in the bag and labeled it _L_ because there was already an _A_. Nicole said goodbye to Wynonna, and she and Waverly walked back downstairs. The Officer grabbed the two other bags and headed towards the door.

       Waverly let out a whimper. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you? Because it is late and what happens if you get lost or something happens with your hand or if you-”

       “Sweetheart. It would just make it suspicious if you came with me, remember?” Nicole ran her fingers through Waverly’s hair and her hand landed on her cheek. “I will be fine, I promise.” She pressed her forehead against Waverly and gave her a gentle smile.

       Waverly let out a shaky breath. “But what if-”

       “Waverly Earp, come over here and chillax. Officer Haught can handle herself just fine,” Gus called from the couch. She pursed her lips.

       “See,” Nicole whispered. “Even Gus has faith in me, what more do you need?”

       “Ugh, just please be careful,” she mumbled, hooking her arms around her waist.

       “I will, Waves.” She gave her a kiss. “I should be back by 12, ok?” Waverly nodded. “You don’t need to wait up for me, go ahead and go to sleep. You’ve had a _really long_ day.”

       “We’ll see,” she sighed, burying her head in her chest.

       “Ok. I'll see you in a little bit."

       “Bye, Nic. _Please_ be careful,” she begged once more, leaning against the door frame.

       “I _willll_ ,” the redhead called. Waverly gave her a half-smile and a wave, closing the door.

       She walked over and sat next to Gus, leaning her head onto her. “What if something happens!? Did you _see_ her freaking hand? She didn’t let me wrap it, so what if it starts to get infected!?”

       “She is a strong girl, Waverly, she’ll be ok,” she soothed, running the backs of her fingers down her cheek. “How bout you tell me about your day, huh?”

       The smaller one let out a sigh, calming herself down. “Should I start with dragging those two’s bodies into the house at 3 AM with Chrissy?” 

       “Please do,” Gus confirmed, turning the TV down, getting ready for one hell of a story.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole pulled into the rock driveway of the _all too familiar_ one-story house. She took a couple of deep breaths before grabbing the baggies and walking up to the door. She gave a firm knock, almost with her right hand but she caught herself just in time. After a minute with no answer, she rang the doorbell a few times. She was about to knock again when the door swung open to reveal a smaller, darker skinned man in pajamas. 

       “It is _10:30_ , Nicole! I was asleep!” He whined. 

       “Hey Jer, sorry. But, I _really_ need a favor right now,” she begged, giving him puppy dog eyes.

       He sighed. “You’re lucky I owe you." He signaled for her to come in.

       “Mhm.” She walked into his kitchen, flipping the light on, and setting the bags down. “So. I need you to run these three DNA swabs and tell me if they are all sisters or not. And before you ask, no, this is not work-related, and no, I will _not_ tell you who they are, no matter how hard you beg.”

       “Oook,” he complied. “C’mon.” He opened the door to the basement and flipped the light on. They both trudged down the steps, entering his lab.

       “Ooooh, someone’s upgraded since the last time I have been down here,” Nicole smirked, looking around the room at all the chemicals and beakers and fancy-looking machines. They walked over to his forensics station.

       “Yea, it’s been like 5 months,” Jeremy mumbled, plugging wires in and flipping switches.

       “Hey now. I was kinda busy being _unemployed_ ,” she retorted.

       “I’m sorry, ok! I thought everyone already knew you were a lady lover!”

       “Well, they didn’t!” Nicole took a breath. “Ok, you know what, I don’t blame you, Jeremy. It's not your fault. I’m the one who quit.”

       “Yea, because those _jerks_ wouldn’t leave you alone about it. If I wouldn’t have said anything, you wouldn’t have had to leave.”

       “But, it's ok. Because I am happy working in Purgatory,” Nicole assured, placing her hand on his shoulder. “No one really cares here, not even my boss.”

       “You told your boss already?!” He was picking the swabs out of the bags with tweezers and dropping them in some type of solution.

       “Well . . . No. But, he knows, I think.” She sat down on the rolly chair that was floating around in the middle of the room.

       “How?!”

       “He kinda lets my girlfriend hang out with me all the time . . .” She looked up at him with a smirk and knew what was coming.

       “YOU GOT A GIRLFRIEND AND DIDN’T TELL ME?!?!?”

       Nicole clapped her hands on her ears. “It just became official today, ok? I wasn’t going to tell you until it was for real,” she answered, rubbing her temple.

       “I need to see this girl, ASAP,” he said, signaling for her to show him a picture. She rolled her eyes and pulled her phone out, groaning through her teeth as she had to use her bad hand. She opened her phone and pulled up the picture they took together while they were watching the sunset. They were sitting next to each other and Waverly was leaning up, kissing Nicole on her cheek with her Stetson on her head while Nicole was flashing a dopey grin. She pointed the phone towards Jeremy. He snatched it out of her hand. “Is _that_ Waverly Earp?” He gasped, jaw dropped.

       “Yea . . . why?” She asked hesitantly, sitting up in her chair. 

       “I thought that girl was straight as could be. And dating some _douchey_ guy that felt her up every time they were in the same room,” he mumbled, still in awe.

       “She broke up with him,” she said through her teeth. “How the hell do you know her?”

       “I’ve done some work with her and her sister,” he said, immediately covering his mouth with his hand. “Uh . . . I mean . . .”

       “ _Wait a minute_.” She stood, walking closer to him. “Are _you_ in Black Badge?” She whispered. 

       “Maybe . . . Wait, are you?!?!” 

       “Yea! Jeremy, why didn’t you tell me?!”

       “Dolls would have yelled at me,” he complained. “Wait, does this mean you can tell me whose DNA that is now?”

       “Uh . . . Waverly, Wynonna, and Willa’s,” she muttered, looking away.

       “Willa is _dead_ , Haught.”

       “Yea, that is what we are trying to figure out. Wynonna found some girl in a cult that shot Peacemaker, and then their aunt freaked out when she brought her back to the Homestead, saying it was Willa.”

       Jeremy stood there, jaw dropped, once again. Nicole brought her hand up to fix her sleeve. “It’s too late for all of- Holy poop, what is wrong with your hand?! Is that why your face is like that?! Who did you fight?!”

       “No, face is from the fight with Wynonna when she caught me and Waverly kissing. Long story. Hand is from a fight with my car,” she mumbled.

       “You need to get that checked out, Nicole, it looks bad.” 

       “Yea, yea. Waverly and I are going to tomorrow morning,” she sighed.

       “You two are awful close already,” he said with a smile.

       “I suppose that's what happens when you save someone’s life,” she said under her breath.

       “What!?”

       “Like I said, long story. And I’ve had a really long day, so I don’t really want to talk about it. How . . . long will it be until that's done?”

       “Maybe tomorrow sometime,” he shrugged. 

       “Ok, well, I best get going, she is already mad I left so late and is probably glued to a clock waiting for me to get back. It was really nice to see you, Jer, we should get lunch or something soon, ok?” She pulled him into a hug.

       “Oh boy, at the rate you two are going, I expect to be getting a wedding invitation any day now.” She pulled back, eyebrows raised. “I’m kiddinggg, but lunch sounds good. Just send me a text when you are free.” 

       “With this hand, I am expecting to have some time off,” she sighed. “Ok, I’ll talk to you soon.” She headed up the stairs.

       “Bye, Nicky, love you! Tell Waverly I said hello!” He called up to her.

       “Alright! Love you too, but call me that again and I'll beat your ass!” She shook her head as she heard him laughing from downstairs.

       She got in the car and plopped her head on the steering wheel. He was her best friend and had been since they were _babies_. And now she had been pushing him away for something that had actually _helped_ her in the long run. She sighed and started the car. It was a little after 11. She figured she could make it back to the Homestead just in time if she really pushed it. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Waverly, Hun, sit down. She will be here any minute. It's only 12:05,” Gus pleaded, patting the couch next to her.

       Waverly continued pacing. “I knew she shouldn’t have left,” she muttered. Her eyes shot up as the door opened and she heard a string of curse words come from behind it. She dashed over and pulled the door open completely, almost yanking Nicole’s arm off, for she was still holding onto the door handle.

       “ _Jesus fuck_ , you scared me!” She yelped. “Take this before my hand falls off,” she sputtered handing her a gym bag. Waverly quickly grabbed it from her injured hand and Nicole stepped all the way inside, closing the door behind her. She was holding her uniform on hangers and boots in her good hand.

       “Why didn’t you text me to come and help you carry all that in?” The brunette asked with worry in her eyes.

       “Cause I didn’t know if you were sleeping or not . . . and I am now realizing you never would have gone to sleep waiting on me to come back,” she sighed, looking at her with a small smile on her face.

       “Unfortunately,” Gus grumbled groggily from the couch.

       Waverly shook her head at her. “Well, now that you _are_ here, we’re going to bed.” She walked towards the couch. “Night, Gus. Love you.” She gave her a kiss on the forehead.

       “Goodnight, Waverly. And good night, _Nicole,_ ” she said, looking back at her with a smile.

       Nicole smiled back. “Goodnight, Gus,” she sighed, making her way up the steps. She entered Waverly’s room and kicked her slides off after she turned the light on, plopping her boots down next to them. She was dressed in a navy hoodie that had the Canadian Police Flag across the front and black Adidas track pants. Her hair was up in a still-wet messy bun and she looked like she was about to fall asleep then and there. “Where do you want this?” She asked when Waverly walked in.

       “That hook on my closet door is fine,” she shrugged, setting Nicole’s bag next to her shoes. “Come to the bathroom when you’re done. I am cleaning and wrapping your hand again before bed.” She sighed and did so. Waverly already had a few things sitting up on the sink by the time she got there. Nicole stood behind her and looked at her through the mirror. Waverly flashed a tired smile and turned around. “So, how did your meeting with Einstein go?” She asked, sticking her hands in Nicole’s pockets.

       “Good,” she mumbled, pressing her lips to her forehead. Waverly turned to grab the cleaning solution from the other cabinet. “His name’s Jeremy. Jeremy Chetri.” Waverly twirled back around, wide-eyed. Nicole looked at her, half smiling.

       “I-I know Jeremy,” she stuttered.

       Nicole laughed. “I heard. I know him, too. He’s kinda been my best friend since I was like, well, as long as I can remember.”

       “Wow,” she said, still shocked.

       “Yea . . . he kinda flipped his shit when I told him I’m dating an _Earp_.”

       “Well, I can’t imagine why,” she replied sarcastically, rolling Nicole’s sleeve up and pulling her arm over the sink.

       “And then he flipped more shit when I told him about being part of Black Badge,” she added, eyeing her. Waverly looked at her, waiting for her to continue. “Yea, so I just told him about the whole DNA thing. I figured he would have figured it out anyway after I mentioned you.”

       “That’s fair. I trust him.” She looked Nicole’s hand over a few times, making sure nothing new was forming. It looked the same as earlier, just deeper colored bruising.

       “Good, you should, and I’m not saying that just because he is basically my brother,” she said, getting herself ready for the hydrogen peroxide. Sure, they had cleaned it earlier, but not with the strong stuff.

       “Aw, that’s sweet,” she cooed, cupping Nicole’s cheek. “You ready?” The Officer nodded. “Ok. If you need me to stop, tell me.” The younger girl started to drizzle it on the wounds.

       Nicole felt the sting of pain shoot from her hand all the way up her arm. Her eyes went wide and she clenched her jaw so hard she thought she was going to break her teeth.“Ok, ok, _okkkkkk_! You don’t need to use the whole bottle!”

       Waverly pulled back. “Sorry!” She gasped. “A-are you ok?” She ran her fingers across her cheek. 

       “Yea, Baby, I’m fine,” she assured with a smile. “I just didn’t want you to use it all up cause I have a feeling this won’t be the last time you are doing this.”

       Waverly blushed. “I just don’t want it to get infected,” she mumbled.

       “It won’t, Waves, I’m gonna be alright.”

       “But you don’t know that.”

       “What I do know is that you’ll be watching it like a _hawk_ , so I’m pretty darn sure,” Nicole said with a smile, turning the tap on and running her hand under it, wincing slightly.

 

 **.  .  .**  

 

       Waverly tugged Nicole’s Police Academy hoodie over her head after her shower and grabbed the pile of her other clothes. She exited the bathroom. “Is she asleep, Nonna?” Waverly whispered, peeking her head into Willa’s room. Wynonna nodded her head. She was sitting in a rocking chair and had planned on staying in there with her for the night. “You need anything?” She asked in the same tone as before. Wynonna shook her head. “Ok, goodnight, love you.” Wynonna smiled and blew her a kiss. She closed the door gently behind her and walked back into her room, flipping off the hall light.

       “How’s she doing?” Nicole asked, face lit in the dark room from her laptop screen.

       “Asleep,” Waverly yawned. “I’m jealous of her.” She threw her clothes into the laundry basket and crawled onto the bed and cuddled up next to her.

       Her yawn made Nicole yawn. “Mmm. Me, too,” she replied, shutting the lid of her computer and setting it on the floor. She scooted down so her head was on the pillow and pulled the blanket up, turning so they were lying face to face. Waverly moved, pushing her front against Nicole, and fitting into the bend of her body like a puzzle piece. She let out a content sigh as she snuggled her head into the crease of the redhead's neck, taking in that scent she could never get tired of. Nicole began to rub her hand up and down her thigh. She tugged up the hem of the hoodie, placing her hand gently on her hip. Her breath hitched and eyes widened. She felt Waverly smiling into her neck. “Waverly Earp, where are your _pants_?” She asked with a tired drawl.

       “In the laundry basket,” she mumbled back. “Usually don’t sleep in ‘em.” This was true.

       “I see,” she said, snapping the elastic of her underwear with her thumb.

       “You gotta problem with that?” She asked, tilting her head back and tracing her finger along the bottom of Nicole’s jaw.

       “Nope. Not at all,” she answered, looking down at her.

       “Didn’t think so,” she smirked.

       Nicole chuckled and gave her a kiss. “Night, Baby,” she mumbled. Her eyes were fluttering shut. Waverly used the last of her energy to flip herself over and Nicole pulled her into a spoon.

       “Goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Waverly, being a little sneaky snake. 
> 
> And poor Nicole. Her hand must hurt like a bitch. 
> 
> We finally meet Jeremy! I thought it would be cool to add a new arc to the story of his and Nicole's friendship because we just love Nicole backstory that much!
> 
> Yes, I gave Nicole some of Wynonna's dialogue from the show because she wasn't actually in that scene, just putting that out there. 
> 
> Lemme know what ya'll think about this one! Your comments and kudos mean a lot and keep me inspired!


	16. No Pun Intended

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WayHaught takes their time to get to the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys! 
> 
> I got a quick question that I would really love your opinions on:  
> I feel like I am going too slow. Like, this is just 4,000 words about their morning. I feel like I am putting way too much information in and that it might be boring some of you, I don't know.  
> Can you guys tell me what you think? Am I ok or should I speed it up a little bit?
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this one, nonetheless.

       A painful pang jolted Nicole awake. Her hand had somehow managed to inch itself under her head out of habit. She groaned a few curse words and dislodged it with a sigh, staring at the back of Waverly’s head. It felt a little chilly in the room, but she looked down and realized that was because Waverly had snatched the blanket all for herself. The only real warmth she felt was her butt pressed against her bare stomach where her hoodie had ridden up. Smiling, she rolled forwards and wrapped her arm around the brunette, sliding her hand up her shirt and tracing her thumb lightly around her abs.

       “G’morning to you, too,” Waverly mumbled, the sound of sleep lingering in her voice.

       Nicole smiled, pressing a kiss into her neck. “I didn’t wake you, did I?” She asked.

       That husky sleep voice did something to the smaller girl. “No, I woke up a few minutes ago,” she lied, not wanting to make her feel bad. She had actually woken up when she had heard her wincing at her hand.

       “Mmk, good,” she sighed, snuggling her head into the nape of her neck. “You took all the blanket.”

       “I tend to do that,” she replied with an embarrassed chuckle. Nicole put some pressure on her hip with her wrist and Waverly flipped over. They both smiled at each other for a few seconds before Waverly decided that wasn’t good enough. Faster than a blink, she had untangled her legs from the blanket and crawled on top of the redhead.

       “Hey you,” Nicole smirked, tapping her fingers on the side of her thigh.

       “Hey,” she replied, placing her hand on her cheek and leaning down into a deep kiss.

       Waverly bowed her back as she felt Nicole's nails dig into her ass. She giggled as she made a trail of kisses along Nicole’s jawline and down to that spot on her neck that always made her squirm. Nicole bucked her hips up, causing the brunette to slide forward a bit onto the part where Nicole’s shirt was still pushed up. The redhead’s eyes shot open and a huge smirk slid across her face. She grabbed her hand and brought it down to her stomach where the wet smear was. “Is that what I do to you?” She husked in her ear.

       Waverly blushed. “Uh-huh.” She walked her lips up to where her jaw bones met and back to Nicole’s lips. The brunette shifted her body and pressed her thigh right on her sensitive area. Nicole’s eyes rolled back and she moaned her name.

       Both their eyes shot up when they heard a few bangs on the door.

       “You better be keeping it PG in there, Haught Pants!” Wynonna warned.

       “We aren’t doing anything, Wynonna!” Waverly shouted back.

       “Oooook, just making sure!” They heard footsteps retreat from the door. Waverly looked back down at Nicole, whose face was almost as red as her hair. She giggled and dropped her head back down to Nicole’s neck, nipping at the pale skin. 

       “I need . . . Tylenol . . . and coffee,” she said in between breaths.

       “Nooo,” Waverly complained, wrapping her arms around her neck.

       Nicole sat up. “We can come back to this later, Waves,” she assured. Waverly responded by hugging her tighter and crossing her ankles behind her back. “Why do you always make me do it the hard way?” She flashed her a cocky smile as she slid her arms under her butt and stood up.

       Waverly looked up at her with her jaw dropped. “Really?” She asked eagerly. Nicole sighed and nodded. The smaller one beamed brightly and placed her hands on her cheeks, giving her a kiss. Nicole jumped a bit to get a better grip, for she was holding her up by her forearms, not hands, and walked towards the door.

       “Pull your shirt down, unless you want your ass hanging out,” she winked. Waverly released her death grip around her neck and did so, immediately rewrapping them, but not as tight. Nicole bent down a bit and opened the door, stepping out into the hallway. She walked to the bathroom and set her down on the counter. Chills ran up Waverly’s spine as the cool countertop made contact with her bare legs. Nicole peeked around her head back and forth, rummaging her hand around the cabinet until she found the right pills and handed the bottle to Waverly. “Hold.” She took it and slid off the counter and back into Nicole’s arms. She walked out of the bathroom and went downstairs to the kitchen where Wynonna was standing.

       “The fuck?- You know what, I’m not going to question it,” Wynonna muttered, waving her hand at them.

       Nicole looked at her and pursed her lips. “That’s probably the best decision,” she sighed, setting Waverly down in a chair. She whined at the loss of contact. “How’m I supposed to get coffee like that?” She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and smiled.

       “Fineee.” She tucked the pill bottle in the redhead's pocket. “But now you have to get me a cup, too.”

       Nicole glanced at her from the counter. “Already planned on it,” she said with a wink. She grabbed 2 mugs out of the drying rack. Waverly was still staring at her, a smile on her face.

       “You practice those googly eyes in the mirror or just natural talent?” Wynonna asked, wiggling her eyebrows at her sister and leaning forward onto the opposite end of the table. She rolled her eyes. Nicole walked back and leaned down, plopping both mugs down that she was holding with one arm down, causing some of the liquid to slosh out the sides.

       “Nicole,” Waverly tutted, wiping her finger on her sleeve to get the droplets off.

       “I did it,” she smirked, sitting down and pulling the pills out. “Can you open this?”

       She gave her a look and snatched the bottle, popping the lid. “How’s it feeling?” She asked, pouring 2 of the pills out onto her hand and handing them to her.

       “Just dandy,” she replied, downing the pills. She pulled the gauze off her hand to look at it. _She_ was even concerned about it at this point. She hadn’t meant to hurt herself that bad, she was just so overwhelmed with anger that she didn’t care. It hadn’t even started to hurt until she got into the car and started to clean it. But, even after that, it wasn’t that bad because of the super strong, _basically steroid_ , pain killers she took.

       “Ughh, Niccc,” Waverly groaned as she gently took her hand and examined it. “We really need to get going. I don’t want to wait any longer." It wasn’t a suggestion, more of a set fact. Nicole nodded, knowing she didn’t have a choice in the matter.

       They looked at the stairs when they heard footsteps coming down them. Willa walked into the kitchen, eyes set on Nicole.

       “Damn, she _is_ an Earp, waking up past 10 AM,” Wynonna said with a wide smile.

       “You live here, too?” Willa asked, gesturing to Nicole, ignoring what Wynonna said.

       The Deputy glanced between her and Waverly. “Uh, no, I just, uh . . .” She really wanted her girlfriend to step in.

       Unbeknownst to them, Wynonna was silently pointing to them and making a heart with her hands.

       Willa made an “o” shape with her mouth. “Wynonna, you didn’t tell me Waverly was a . . . _gay_ ,” she muttered, seeming to be very surprised. All three of them were staring at Wynonna at this point. Waverly with a look of anger, Nicole with a look of worry, and Willa with a look of confusion. 

       Waverly shifted her vision back to Willa and cleared her throat. “Willa. This is my girlfriend, Nicole,” she said with a slight grimace in her voice.

       “I . . . see,” she responded.

       Waverly clenched her jaw. “Ok, Nic, let's go get ready,” she grumbled, grabbing her hand and stomping up the stairs. They walked into her room and she slammed the door. She paced around for a few seconds, spewing out random insults and then went to her dresser and pulled a bra out, flinging it around as she spoke. Facing the wall, she stripped her top and Nicole was frozen, taking in the fact that she, not only had no pants on, but had no bra either. “Like, seriously! She just got here and is already insulting me! She always hated me, I guess things hav-” She stopped when she glanced back at her girlfriend. “What?” She asked with demanding eyes.

       Nicole snapped out of it and scratched her head, looking away. “Uhhm, nothing, just . . .” She looked back at her blushing.

       Waverly looked down at herself, realizing the situation. She quickly snapped her bra on and turned around. “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry, I got _really_ carried away the-”

       “No, no, it's fine. I just . . . wasn’t expecting that,” she interrupted, keeping her eyes upward, but still blushing hard. “I’m gonna . . .” She made a spinning gesture. “And . . .” She pointed to her bag. “Yea.” She turned around and Waverly did the same. They both changed in silence, besides Nicole randomly cursing at her hand. Last night when she packed, she knew she wanted to look nice for Waverly, even though they were literally _just_ going to be sitting in a hospital all day long. She pulled her hair out of the bun and put on a white v-neck shirt and some tapered khaki joggers. She changed her long black socks to short tye-dyed ones and slipped on her white Converse. She stood up and winced as she put on her dark blue jean jacket hoodie. She began to roll the sleeve but realized she wouldn’t be able to do the other by herself. “Hey, Waves?”

       “Yea?”

       “I need help, can I turn around?”

       “Yea, go ahead, I’m basically done.” Nicole and Waverly both turned around. Nicole stopped mid-roll and Waverly stood with her jacket halfway on. They were frozen, scanning each other up and down. Waverly was wearing a red, thin-striped crop top sweater with a forest green bomber jacket (almost) on over it. Her high-waisted skinny jeans were the same color as the jacket and she had brown combat boots on her feet. Their eyes caught each other’s after a few seconds.

       “Wow,” they breathed at the same time.

       Waverly dipped her head, blushing as she shoved her other arm in the sleeve of the jacket. She looked back up and made her way over to the redhead. “W-what’d you need?” She asked with a laugh. Nicole smiled and stuck out her arm. She nodded and rolled it. She pulled both of her wrists down to her sides and made sure the sleeves were even just below elbow level, fixing them until she was satisfied with it. She moved her hands up the zipper on both sides and landed at the collar, smoothing it out a bit and straightening the hood. “ _Theeere_. Anything else?”

       Nicole looked down at herself. “Erm, can you tie those?” She asked, pointing to her shoes.

       Waverly smiled and dropped to a knee. “Double knot?”

       “Yep.” Waverly tied them both. She looked up at her legs and started resituating her pants. She grabbed the ankle band, turning it a bit so it was straight and worked her way up her legs, fixing it here and there. She stood back up and looked at Nicole, who had a goofy smirk on her face. “You happy now?” She asked, raising her eyebrows.

       “I was just-”

       “I’m kidding, Waves,” she assured, placing her hand on her waist.

       “Oh.” She looked down, blushing. “I thought you hated khakis.”

       “I do, just not these,” she replied with a smile. “I actually look good in these.” She bent down and pulled a hairbrush and makeup bag out of her gym bag.

       “ _I beg to differ_ ,” Waverly argued, eyeing her. Nicole gave her a look. “Ok, fine, maybe these are a _little_ bit better- Wait.” She grabbed her hips and spun her around, examining her backside. “Mk, yea, a lotta bit better, I stand corrected. You in your uniform _as a whole_ is still at the top of my list, though.”

       Nicole turned back around, rolling her eyes. “I am going to go fix my face,” she said, bopping her on the head with the end of the brush. Waverly smiled as she walked off to the bathroom, heading to her desk and sitting down in front of the mirror to finish getting ready.

       Nicole set the bag down on the counter and began brushing her hair. It was very knotty, for it had been in a bun all night. It took a few minutes, but she finally got it tamed. She ran her hand under the water and pushed her fingers through it to calm the frizz down. She fixed her part and decided it would do for the day. She grabbed her face wipes and quickly wiped down her face. She pulled her liquid eyeliner out of the bag and twiddled it in her fingers for a few seconds, shaking her head at herself. She decided she wanted to see if she could do it, even with a fucked up hand. She placed it carefully in her other hand, discovering it wasn’t as painful and awkward as she thought it would be.

       She leaned forward across the counter and began to slowly trace her top lid. She stepped back and examined it. Pretty good. She pulled down her bottom lid and traced her waterline, terrified that she was going to poke herself in the eye. She didn’t though, not even on her other eye. After putting the lid back on, she stuck it back in her bag and pulled her mascara out and put a few layers of that on. She did the rest of her routine to the best of her ability. Satisfied, she zipped up her bag and walked back to Waverly’s room.

       “I’m almost done, maybe like 5 more minutes,” Waverly said when she heard her walk in.

       “Take your time, Waves,” the redhead encouraged as she grabbed her denim Adidas snapback and walked over to the mirror on the door. She put it on, making sure the bill was straight back and not dipping down too far. She fixed her hair and walked over to the bed, picking her laptop up off the floor and logging on. She signed into the station’s database and checked on what she was looking at before bed last night. Her eyes widened as she read through it. “Guess what?” 

       “Chicken butt,” Waverly sighed as she filled in her eyebrows.

       “Champ got transferred this morning. He pleaded not guilty, but they are still holding him because he was deemed _too dangerous for release_.”

       The brunette rushed over and snatched the computer out of her hands to read through it herself. She lifted her eyes from the screen, staring right into Nicole’s. “Not guilty?” She handed her back her laptop. “Is he really that stupid?”

       Nicole closed it and tossed it on the bed, following Waverly back to her desk. “ _Apparently_. He must be crazy if he thinks any jury will believe _that_.” Waverly put on some lipstick and stood back up.

       “Ugh, dumbass.” She walked to the mirror, ruffled her hair a bit and fixed the collar of her jacket.

       Nicole stood behind her and placed her hands on her waist, wetting her lips and pushing her front against her back. “You look . . . _really nice_ , Baby,” she whispered, moving her hair to kiss her neck.

       “It’s not too much is it?” I mean, we are just going to the hospital.”

       “No, I think it's fine,” she assured.

       Waverly turned around and traced her finger down the redhead’s stomach, feeling the protrusions of her abs. “I like Frat Boy Nicole,” she teased with a giggle, sticking her tongue out between her teeth. Nicole crossed her arms and pursed her lips, corners turning up. “I’m kidding!” The Deputy grabbed her hand and spun her around, wrapping her arms around her and hugging her tight.

       “Good, cause I was going to start calling you green bean,” she smirked. They looked at each other through the mirror. Nicole let her out of the hug and Waverly turned back around, sticking her thumbs up her shirt and running them on the thick band of her briefs that stuck above the hem of her pants.

       “I do like this, It’s . . . _really hot_. . . no pun intended,” she whispered, pulling her bottom lip under her front teeth.

       “Mmm, I could tell when you started eye-fucking me when I turned around,” she husked back. “But that’s what I was going for.”

       “Don’t act like you didn’t do the same thing,” she said with a wink. “And in case you were wondering, that’s what I was going for, too.”

       “Mission successful,” the redhead whispered before going in for a kiss. The corners of Waverly’s lips turned up and she ran her hands up Nicole’s arms, squeezing her biceps. She ran her tongue along Waverly’s bottom lip, and she opened her lips. Waverly turned them around and eased Nicole against the wall, arching into her. Nicole reached up and turned her hat around to the front so it didn’t bend and then moved her hand down to the brunette’s ass, pulling her as close to her as she could.

       They pulled away quickly at the sound of the door swinging open and Wynonna’s voice booming into the room. “Babygirl, you won’t-” She made a gagging noise. “Gross, guys, seriously! Don’t you have better places to be _besides_ down each other’s throats?” Waverly looked back at Nicole blushing. “Haught, get your hand off mu sister's ass.” She did so and Waverly walked over to her.

       “Hi, Wynonna. Uhmm, quick question. Ever heard of KNOCKING?!” She snapped. Wynonna crossed her arms. Waverly grabbed her wrist. “You take your hand and you go like this.” She tapped her hand on the door. “See? Easy right? NOW DO THAT FROM NOW ON!” They both looked at Nicole when they heard a snort come from that direction.

       “Yea, she’s right, Earp, you did that to yourself,” she sighed, walking over to them and flipping her hat back around.

       Wynonna glared at her. “Fine, whatever. Anyway, Willa says she has never had Taco Bell, so you two are going to bring us back a buffet when you get done with your hospital shenanigans.” 

       “Sounds good to me!” Nicole exclaimed. Waverly looked up at Nicole, eyebrow cocked. “What?”

       She looked back to her sister. “Wynonna, there is no reason you can’t drive yourself there and get her some.” 

       “But, I want Taco Bell,” the Officer said softly. Waverly pursed her lips.

       “Alright, so it's settled. Waves, your getting us food,” Wynonna said, smiling at Nicole.

       “No, I’m not,” she scoffed. Nicole looked at her confusedly.

       “Babygirl, your poor girlfriend has a jacked up hand and is in dire need of some Mexican diabetes,” Wynonna cajoled, putting her hands on Nicole’s shoulders. “And your sister has never had the privilege to eat a freaking taco.” Waverly looked between them unamused.

       “Pwetty pwease?” Nicole begged with a pouted lip below puppy dog eyes. “With a chewwy on top?”

       The corners of Waverly’s lips turned ever so slightly upward. “Fine,” she said flatly. Wynonna and Nicole began jumping around and cheering. Waverly still stood with no emotions. “You’re still paying, Wynonna.” Wynonna stopped jumping. “Mhm.”

       “Ughhhh, fine, be that way.” She stomped out of the room and went downstairs.

       The Officer slowly approached Waverly and pushed the hair out of her face. “Waves? What was that all about?” She asked hesitantly.

       “I don’t know why Wynonna thinks I have to be nice to Willa. If she is going to be a bitch to me, I’ll be a bitch to her.”

       “She doesn’t know any better, Babe. She didn’t mean it, ok? She was just confused,” the redhead consoled.

       Waverly let out a breath. “Yea, right, sorry. I just . . . have to get used to having her back, that’s all. _If it even is her_.”

       “Speaking of that, I still haven’t heard anything. Uh, get your stuff together, I’ll meet you downstairs in a few.”

       “Ok, I am driving, by the way.”

       “Mk,” Nicole mumbled, picking her phone up off the bed. Waverly grabbed her purse and headed downstairs as Nicole clicked on Jeremy’s contact.

 

**Nicky: Hey Jer, when do u think those tests will be done? They are getting antsy over here.**

 

       She shoved her phone back in her pocket and grabbed her wallet off of the nightstand. She found Waverly talking to Gus in the kitchen downstairs.

       “Lemme see this hand of yours, Girly,” Gus said as she walked up to them. Nicole held her fist out in front of her and the older woman examined it, grimace on her face. “Oh for Heaven’s sake,” she muttered. “You need to ice that on the ride there, it’ll take some of that swelling down so they can examine it better.” She looked back up at Nicole and let go of her hand.

       “Told you,” Waverly grumbled. Nicole elbowed her and Waverly smacked her. Nicole elbowed her again. Waverly wagged her finger in her face. “I _will_ tickle you.”

       “And I will carry you around upside down all day long, how’s that sound?” The brunette bumped her with her shoulder.

       “Quit it,” Gus scolded. Waverly smirked and clasped her hands in front of her. “Ya’ll best get going, _who knows_ how long you will have to sit in that waiting room.”

       “That’s true,” Nicole sighed. She held out her hand for Waverly. “C’mon Waves.” She took it and they started to walk away. “Bye, Gus!”

       “See you later, Gus!” Waverly called. She pulled them to the freezer and pulled an ice pack out.

       “Bye, girls. I’m hoping for the best, Nicole,” Gus called back.

       “Me, too!” Waverly pulled open the front door.

       “Where are you going?” The couple turned around. Willa was standing behind the couch.

       “To the hospital,” her sister answered. “Rocky, here, decided to bust her hand and we are getting it checked out.” She held up Nicole’s hand.

       “Oh no,” Willa frowned. “Well, good luck with it. I hear I am getting Taco Bell upon your return.”

       “Yep,” Nicole said with a smile. “Bye, Willa.”

       “Goodbye.”

       Nicole gave Waverly a look. “Bye, Willa,” she called in an annoyed tone.

       “Bye, Waverly.” The girls headed out to Waverly’s Jeep. Nicole hopped in the passenger's side and Waverly got in the driver’s seat and handed the Nicole the ice pack. She started the car and pulled out of the driveway as the redhead's phone buzzed on her lap.

 

 **Jeremy 💙 💩: They should be done soon. Im at work rn so Ill check it when I get home.** **It would have been done this morning, but I had to test it again because somethin didn’t seem right.**

**Nicky: Ok. What u mean something didn’t seem right?**

**Jeremy 💙 💩: Nothing, I think I just plugged my data in wrong Idk.**

**Nicky: Ok, well I hope it works this time.**

**Jeremy 💙 💩: Yea, me too. TTYL, Boss Man doesn’t like us on our phones** 👊

 **Nicky:** 👊

  
       Nicole knew something was up. Jeremy doesn’t just _plug data in wrong_ , he was too careful for that. She almost said something to Waverly about it, but didn’t. She didn’t want to worry her when she wasn’t even for sure if there was something to be worrying about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh, Jeremy, what's wrong??
> 
> I just had to bring back interupting Wynonna because we just love her so much lmao.
> 
> Thanks again for all the nice comments, they mean a lot.


	17. Was That Necessary?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Waverly finally go to the hospital for her hand, but some of Nicole's past comes back to bite her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Thanks for the input on the last chapter, really helped me out!
> 
> I thought about splitting this chapter into 2, but I didn't, so here are 6,500 words of fun!
> 
> I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but I wanted to let you guys know on the 6th, 7th, and 8th I will be out of town, and won't be able to write at all. So the next few will probably be posted a little slower than normal. This month of May is just really busy for me in general, so just thought I would give ya'll a heads up. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

       “Nicole!” Waverly hollered, snapping the redhead out of it. She had been zoned out, staring out the window.

       “What?!” Nicole asked, darting her eyes around, heart racing.

       “Sorry,” she said, placing her hand on her leg. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Put the ice pack on, we are 3 minutes away from the hospital.”

       “Oh, right.” It had been a long drive; the closest hospital was 45 minutes away from the Homestead. It didn’t matter if she actually did put it back on or not, it had been completely melted 20 minutes ago.

       Waverly put the car in park after finally finding a parking spot after 10 minutes of driving around the lot. They stepped out and stretched for a few seconds before meeting each other around the front of the car. “You ready, Baby?” The smaller girl asked, holding her hand out.

       “Let’s get this over with,” she sighed, taking her hand and interlocking their fingers. They walked into the large building and went up to the front desk of the ER.

       “Good afternoon, Ladies. You here to check in?” The receptionist asked.

       “Hi. Yes, we are,” Nicole answered with a small smile.

       “Neither of you are seriously injured, am I correct?”

       “Unless this is seriously injured,” Waverly said with a smirk, pulling her hand up over the counter. “Then no.” Nicole gave her a look.

       “Oh, wow, ok. Well, here’s your paperwork. Just bring it up here when you are done with it. Go ahead and have a seat. We will try to get a Triage nurse to get your vitals as soon as possible,” she said with a smile, handing them a clipboard and a pen.

       “Alright, thanks,” the redhead replied. They made their way to one of the two loveseats in the waiting room and sat down. There was a pretty decent amount of other people in there, Nicole noticed as she was looking around. Some of them just looked sick, but there was a man with a bloody towel pressed against his forehead and an older woman with a badly bruised arm. Waverly set the clipboard on her lap and Nicole gently placed the pen in her hand. “My handwriting is already shit, so the person who has to read this should be _really_ excited,” she sighed, starting to write her name at the top of the paper.

       “You want me to fill it out for you?” She offered.

       Nicole looked up at her, eyebrow cocked. She hadn’t thought about that. “Uh, yea, thanks,” she said with a smile, placing it in her lap.        

       She finished filling out her name, then circled female, and wrote in the month and day of her birthday. “Year?” She asked, clicking the pen a few times.

       “1990,” she answered, placing her arm across the back of the couch, holding her shoulder.

       Waverly raised her eyebrows at her. “26?! You’re an old woman!” She said in a granny voice, wiggling her fingers around on her ribs, making her lurch forward.

       “Waverly!” She swatted her hand away, glancing around at the handful of people that were now staring at them. The brunette had a pleased smirk on her face. Nicole shook her head, and put her arm back around her shoulders, leaning back, and throwing her right foot over her left knee.

       She continued on, asking her questions when needed. “How did your injury occur?” She asked sarcastically.

       “Hmm. Well. Some fuck-truck spewed some bullshit comments at my girlfriend so I pretended the hood of my car was his face,” she said with an obnoxious grin.    

       Waverly scooted closer to her and kissed her cheek. “Such a badass,” she sighed, writing _Got mad and punched car hood_ down on the paper.

       Nicole glanced down at it. “Well, that’s not as fun.”

       “Yea. Exactly.” Nicole laughed, leaning forward and grabbing one of the magazines off the table. “What’s next . . . Oh, emergency contact?”

       The Deputy looked over at her, a bit confused. “You, obviously,” she said, bringing her hand down to her leg.

       “Wh- Me? Why me?” 

       “Who else would I put, Waves? Nedley?” She asked with a chuckle.

       “I . . . don't know,” she said, jotting her name and number down.

       Nicole kissed her temple and opened the magazine. “Y’act like you're not the best thing that’s happened to me,” she mumbled under her breath, turning the page.

       Waverly looked over at her, mouth open, corners up. “Can you not be cute for, like, _2 seconds_?” She asked softly, leaning her head on her shoulder.

       Nicole looked over at her, cheeks pink. “Nah,” she sighed.

       Waverly rolled her eyes and stood up. “I’m giving this to the lady, stay put.” Nicole nodded. Waverly gave her a peck and walked off. She watched her for a few seconds and then went back to her magazine.

       “You better marry that one.”

       Nicole looked up at the woman with the bruised arm, who was looking at her with a kind smile. “I, uh, I’m hoping to, Ma’am,” she responded, looking over at her girlfriend, who was having a chat with the receptionist. _Excuse me?! What in the fuck did you just say, Nicole?!_  Waverly happened to look over at her and smiled a wide smile. Nicole did the same. Their vision was locked on one another for a few seconds until she dipped her head and went back to her conversation with the lady at the counter.

       The older woman shook her head in awe. “Love is a magical thing. Some are lucky enough to find it, some aren’t. But, you, My Dear, have certainly found it,” she sighed, resituating her arm on her lap.

       “I sure have,” she said in a breathy tone, taking one more look at Waverly, who had just started walking back. She looked back at the woman with a smile, and the woman gave her a wink.

       “Miss me?” Waverly asked, plopping back down next to her and leaning her head on the armrest that was on Nicole’s side.

       Nicole brought her arm down and rested it on her stomach. “Nope,” she teased, popping the p.

       “Mmm. Good. I have to say, I was _thrilled_ to get a break from your cocky ass,” the brunette smirked, twirling a red lock around her finger.

       “I’m a cop, I have to be. Worked on you, didn’t it?” She asked, flicking her earlobe with her thumb. “You still owe me that coffee, by the way.”  

       “I did agree to that, didn’t I?” Waverly sighed.

       “Unfortunately you did, Ma’am,” she confirmed in her Officer drawl.

       Waverly’s eyelashes fluttered a bit and her mouth came open. “You are _not_ allowed to do that to me,” she gasped.

       Nicole let out a chuckle and traced her fingers along her abs. “Says who?”

       “Says my ability to hold it together,” she answered.

       Nicole licked her bottom lip. “Section 2 of The Charter says every citizen here has the Freedom of Expression. So, I am afraid to tell you, Ms. Earp, that by law, because I am not hurting anyone or anything, I may say as I please,” she recited in her drawl again.

       Waverly bit the sides of her cheeks and shook her head at her. “You are hurting my underwear,” she whispered through her teeth.

       Nicole let out a snort and covered her mouth, turning her head away. “Waverly Earp, we are in a _hospital_ ,” she whispered back.

       “That’s not my fault!"

       “Nicole Haught!” A nurse called from across the room.

       Waverly sat up off her lap and Nicole stood. “You can go . . . fix your situation,” she said with a wink as she walked away. Waverly’s eyes widened and she said a few curses under her breath with a smile plastered across her face.

       The nurse and Nicole walked into a small room that was attached to the waiting room. She weighed her and measured her. “5 foot 8 and a half,” the nurse mumbled as she walked over to her tablet to log the information.

       “You sure it's not 5’9? I’m pretty sure I’m 5’9,” the Officer joked with a smile.

       The nurse looked up at her, but quickly back down to hide a blush. “I-I’m sure,” she answered. “Now I need to take your blood pressure.” She pointed to a chair and Nicole sat down. “Can you take this off for me?” She gestured to her jacket and the redhead did so. The nurse placed the band around her arm and began squeezing the ball. “How’d you do that anyway . . . if you don’t mind me asking?”

       “No, it's fine. My girlfriend and I were at dinner last night, and this dude started complaining about us and called her- _us_ the f-word. It made me pissed and I kinda punched the crap out of my car after we left,” she explained.

       The nurse undid the band on her arm after she got the reading. “Wow, th-that’s really horrible. People are jerks, I’m sorry,” she sighed with a sympathetic look on her face. Nicole nodded, clenching her jaw. She took a few more of her vitals and then did a quick examination of her hand, asking a few questions. “Ok, well, I will send a slip to our x-ray tech and we will try to get you in there ASAP. It definitely seems broken to me, but that is just my opinion.” She gave Nicole a smile as she slipped her jacket back on.

       “Alright, thank you so much."

       “No problem. Just go ahead back to the waiting room.” Nicole gave her a wave and walked out. She walked back to the couch and sat down next to Waverly, who had began reading her magazine.

       “What’d she say?” She asked, fiddling with a crease on Nicole’s pant leg.

       “She said she thinks it's broken. She sent in a thingy so I am in line for the x-ray,” the redhead explained. She groaned and wrapped her arm around Nicole’s, leaning her head on her shoulder. They sat like that for a little while. 

       “What are you gonna do about work?” Waverly asked, breaking the silence. 

       “I guess I will be on paperwork duty, but then again, I probably won’t be able to write.” She rubbed her face. “Whe- . . . When are you going to go back to work?” She asked, dropping her tone.

       “I-I don’t know. I haven’t even been back there, yet,” she said softly. “Now that Gus is living with us and has basically taken over my position there, I don’t feel like I need to rush. Do I?” Gus had convinced the sisters that until Waverly was back on her normal routine, she would be staying there, no buts about it.

       “No, I don’t think so,” Nicole assured. “It's only been a few days, Waves. And you have been doing _amazing_. But, you need to take your time with the future steps, ok?”

       “It's almost been a week,” she breathed, tightening her grip on her arm.

       Nicole shifted her body to face her, cupping her cheek. “Hey. Don’t think about that. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been. What matters is that you are _here_ and you are _safe_.” She wiped the single tear from her cheek and wrapped her arm around the smaller one’s waist, pulling her into her. “You’re going to get through this, I promise,” she whispered, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

       “ _We’re_ gonna get through this,” Waverly corrected, looking up into the redhead’s eyes.

       Nicole nodded with a smile. “Officer Haught!” A voice called. They looked over and saw a young man in scrubs standing with a tablet, leaning on the doorframe. Nicole stood up and held out her hand for Waverly, who took it. They walked toward the man. “Hello, I'm Dr. Evans, and I will be doing your x-ray. Please follow me,” he said with a smile.

       “How’d he know I’m a cop?” Nicole whispered to Waverly as they walked.

       “I might have mentioned it to the receptionist,” she replied with a wink. 

       “Ma’am, I have to ask that you wait out here,” he said to Waverly when they reached the room. 

       “Okie dokie,” she replied, turning towards Nicole. “Good luck,” she smiled in a whisper as she raised herself on her tippy-toes and gave her a quick kiss.

       The redhead nodded with a smile and followed the doctor into the room. He explained what they were going to do and that they would be taking multiple pictures of her hand. “Alright, so if you would sit in this chair here and put your hand on this plate, I will get you your lead vest real fast,” he explained and then walked off to the hooks on the wall. Nicole sat down and decided she would need to take her jacket off again, so she did so. Dr. Evans came back and gently propped the heavy vest across her front. “First we need one with your hand flat,” he sighed, looking at her, waiting for her to do it.

       “Uhh, little problem there, Doc, can’t really open my hand,” she muttered, scratching the back of her head.

       “Ook . . . let see then.” He walked around to the front of the table and placed each of his hands on the sides of her hand. “Tell me if it hurts too much,” he informed, worry on his face.

       “I promise I won’t hit you,” she said with a chuckle, hiding her nervousness. He eyed her and stuck his fingers under her pinky and pointer finger and began to slowly open them, sliding them in further as the space between her palm and fingers got wider. Her hand began to tremble as he got further, feeling as if her it was being ripped apart. By halfway, she could taste the blood from her cheeks starting to run onto her tongue and was seeing black spots. She couldn’t even tell if she was breathing or not.

       Finally, after 30 more seconds, her hand was open and he gently rested it against the plate, looking up at her. She assumed her face was not it's normal color judging by the look on his face.

       “Are you o-”

       “Go take the damn picture,” she growled through her teeth. He adjusted the camera to the correct placement and rushed behind the wall, clicking a button. The machine made a humming noise for a few seconds, then stopped. The Doctor came back out and quickly walked up to her. He brought the camera closer to her hand and dashed back behind the wall, resulting in the same process.

       She heard him mumble something to himself and then he came back around, lips pursed. “I . . . I need another view with your hand flipped over,” he said, clasping his hands nervously. Nicole let out a breath and slowly flipped her hand over. She noticed the intense bruising on the underside of her hand. He adjusted the camera again and took the picture. “Ok, all done!” He called from behind the wall.

       She dropped her head and curled her hand back up, bringing it to her chest. “You are knocking me out of you have to do that again,” she grumbled, standing up and placing the vest on the table, pulling her jacket back on.

       “I’m sorry about that, Officer,” he apologized, opening the door for her. She groaned an ‘it’s fine’ and walked over to Waverly.

       She stood up and eyed her nervously. “Baby?” She whispered, grabbing her upper arms.

       “Guess who had to open their fist?” She announced with an annoyed smile. The brunette gave her an apologetic frown.

       “I will take you to your room,” Dr. Evans said. The girls followed him to an exam room. It had a few chairs, a hospital bed, and a desk with a computer. He told them the Orthopedist would be in soon to discuss the results of the x-ray with her. They thanked him and he left, closing the door behind him. Nicole hopped up on the bed and got comfy while Waverly pulled one of the chairs up next to her and leaned on the armrest of the bed.

       “Nicole! Oh my gosh!” Waverly shrieked, lifting her hand. It had swollen profusely since the last time she had seen it.

       Nicole’s eyebrows raised, but she wasn’t that surprised. “I told you he made me stretch it out,” she complained. “What time is it?” 

       Waverly pulled out her phone. “3:30,” she answered. “Why?”

       “We’ve been here for almost 2 hours already!?”

       “Yep.” Nicole groaned. Waverly reached down and interlocked their fingers, trying to calm the redhead down a little bit. “I don’t think it will be too much longer, Nic.”

       “But, I’m hungry and tired and wanna go home so we can cuddle and not have to worry about anything,” she muttered lethargically.

       Waverly clenched her jaw. There was nothing she could do other than be there for her. “Shh, I know, Baby, I know. I don’t wanna be here either,” she soothed, running her fingers along her cheek. Nicole reached up and snatched the hat off her head, tossing it onto one of the chairs across the room, and ran her hand through her hair a few times. She looked over at Waverly with pain in her red eyes. Waverly swallowed hard and climbed up into the bed next to her girlfriend. Yes, this probably wasn’t allowed, but that was the least of her worries right now. She pulled her into her arms, and Nicole scooted in between her legs, sitting sideways and laying her head against her chest. The brunette whispered reassurances in her ear and rubbed her hand up and down her side until she calmed down a little bit.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       It had been about an hour and they were still sitting in that room. No doctors or nurses had come in the whole time. Waverly was getting antsy, and it didn’t help that she really had to pee. “Nic?”

       “Hmm?”

       “You want me to go get you something? Like a snack or a drink? You haven’t eaten anything today,” Waverly asked, stroking her hair.

       “Coffee. And snack. I don’t care what,” she mumbled back, pushing herself off her girlfriend so she could get up.  

       Waverly nodded and climbed off the bed. “I’ll be right back, ok?” She assured, tilting her chin up with her finger. Nicole nodded. Waverly gave her a quick kiss, grabbed her purse, and left, gently closing the door behind her.

       Nicole resituated herself on the bed and pulled out her phone. There was nothing in the room to keep them entertained. No TV, no nothing, so she decided Candy Crush was the best option to keep her from passing out from boredness.

       She had almost finished a level when the door opened. She looked up, expecting Waverly, but the lady doctor who walked in the room was definitely  _not_  her.

       “I am so sorry for the wait, we had an emergency in the-” The doctor paused when she looked up from her tablet.

 

**___**

 

       Waverly got in the elevator at the end of the hall after she got out of the bathroom and thanks to the helpful map on the wall, clicked the button for the 2nd floor to get to the cafeteria.

       She stepped out after the doors reopened and followed the signs, ending up in a _nicer-than-expected_ cafeteria. She walked over to the coffee stand and poured two cups of the bitter liquid, adding some cream and sugar to each. She placed a lid on them and looked around, finding a line of vending machines. There was one for chips, one for candy, and one for soda and drinks. She smiled when she noticed that there were Cheez-Its in the chip machine, thinking back to the day it all started. After digging around in her wallet, she found a $5, slipped it into the machine, and punched in the code for them twice. Grabbing the 2 bags of chips that it spit out at the bottom and her change, she gathered the coffees and walked back to the elevator.

       She was moseying down the hall back towards their room but started walking slower when she heard yelling coming from that direction. She recognized one of the voices as Nicole’s and quickly picked up the pace. Their voices became cleareras she got closer.

       “-you tell her about your PTSD, Nicole?!”

       “Because I love her, ok?! And I don't want to hurt her!”

       “ _Love_!? You met her a week ago!”

       “That doesn’t mean-”

       Waverly swung the door open, causing both women to pause their argument. Waverly noticed Nicole was up from the bed and in the lady doctors face. “What the hell is going on in here?!” She demanded, setting the stuff down on the desk next to her.

       “We’re just having a chat about how much of a _dumbass_ Nicole is,” the doctor snarked.

       “Shae!” Nicole barked.

       “Ok, that doesn’t tell me who _you_ are and why you are fighting _in_ _a hospital_!” Waverly snapped, inching closer to the duo.

       “ _I’m_ her wife,” the doctor announced.

       Waverly’s breath stalled and she looked at Nicole, wide-eyed. “ _Ex_ -wife,” Nicole corrected, stepping closer to Waverly and placing her hand on her arm. “ _Someone_ just doesn’t want to sign the paperwork!”

       Waverly let out the breath she had been holding and stepped away from Nicole, putting herself in between the two women. “ _Alright_! Here’s what we are going to do! _You_ are going to go sit in that bed and act like the hurt patient you are. And _you_ are going to tell us what’s wrong with her _as her doctor_.” She gave both women a glare. Nicole knew she meant business, so she trudged over to the bed and sat down, crossing her arms. Waverly grabbed the coffees off the desk and shoved one at Nicole, sitting next to her on the edge of the bed.

       Shae went to the mobile computer station she had brought with her and clicked around on it for a few seconds, mumbling things to herself under her breath. She pulled the station with her and turned it to face them with a sigh. She pulled a pen out of her pocket and pointed it at the screen, clearing her throat. “Mk, so-”

       “Oh my God,” Waverly gasped, looking at the x-ray on the screen. Her hand moved to Nicole’s thigh.

       “Yea . . . the knuckle of your 2nd metacarpal is basically shattered. And your 1st metacarpal is fractured about half an inch below the knuckle, most likely from the impact and angle of the punches,” Shae explained, pointing around on the screen as she spoke. “It almost seems like there was already swelling there or something because it usually doesn’t break like that unless it has been stressed recently.” She looked at Nicole, expecting an explanation.

       “Yea, there was . . . But, that’s none of your concern, _Doctor,_ ” Nicole snarked, eyeing her.

       Waverly cleared her throat a bit. “So, what are you going to do about it?” She asked.

       “Uhm, well, _right now_ we are going to put you in a cast to stabilize it . . . until you can get surgery to repair it,” Shae said, looking back and forth between the two of them. “We will probably have to put pins and wires up in there to help stabilize it so it heals properly.”

       “Ok, let’s hop to it then,” Nicole sighed.

       Shae pulled her cart towards the door. “What color do you want?” She asked, opening the door.

       “Huh?”

       “Cast. What color cast?”

       Nicole looked at Waverly. “Neon green,” the brunette answered with a smirk.

       “N-” She pursed her lips when Waverly gave her a look.

       “Neon green it is,” Shae said with an eye roll, closing the door behind her.

       Waverly got up off the bed and walked to the desk, grabbing the two bags of Cheez-Its and chucked one at Nicole, hitting her right on the side of the face. She stood up and walked over to her. “Waves. I was-” She stopped when Waverly put her hand up.

       “Nic, I don’t care. Yea, it would have been _really_ nice to know, but you chose not to tell me for a reason and I am going to respect that.”

       “Ok . . . then . . . why are you mad at me?” She asked cautiously.

       “Because you decided to have a screaming war in the middle of a hospital! There are sick people everywhere, Nicole. Did either of you even think about that?”

       “She started it,” the redhead mumbled, taking a sip of coffee. She looked back up at her girlfriend with puppy dog eyes. “I’m sorry.”

       Waverly pursed her lips to hide a smile and shook her head with a sigh. “Go eat your snack,” she mumbled, pulling her top lip in with her tongue. Nicole smirked and went back to the bed, grabbing the bag that fell on the floor. She plopped back on the bed and was mid-situating herself when the smaller girl jumped on top of her and cupped her neck, pulling her into a much-needed kiss. Nicole chuckled and put her hand on her waist under the jacket as Waverly started to grind her hips.

       Their heavy makeout session lasted a few minutes. Nicole pulled back for air and heard her stomach growl. “I think I need my snack now,” Nicole said, still out of breath.

       “I’m a snack,” Waverly added.

       Nicole snorted, pushing her off her lap. “That you are,” she agreed, handing her the bag to open.

       “And a funny one at that,” the brunette replied, handing it back opened.

       “Mhm.” Nicole shoved a few crackers in her mouth and laid back on the bed, crossing her ankles in front of her.

       “I am gonna take a guess that you didn’t know she worked here,” Waverly mused, looking over at Nicole.

       “Nope. I guess she got transferred. It's been a while so . . .” She noticed she was looking at her with a hint of curiosity. “You wanna hear the story, huh?”

       Waverly blushed. “Maybe,” she mumbled.

       “Buckle up, it's a bumpy ride,” she said with a wink. “It all started a little over 3 years ago. I was in, _wait for it_ , Las Vegas, Nevada.”

       “Oh . . . Ooooooooooooooh,” she gasped.

       Nicole laughed as she watched her put it together in her head. “Yeaaaaa . . . Brittany Live and a big win at the slot machine will do that to you. She ended up coming with me back to Canada, literally dropped her whole life in the states, it was crazy, and she moved into my old apartment with me. What we had was fun, but we both knew it wouldn’t last. It wasn’t really love. She moved out after about 7 months. I gave her the signed divorce papers that day, but she never ended up signing them for some reason.” She shook her head, look of annoyance on her face.

       “Well, maybe she will now,” Waverly said, patting her leg.

       “I hope so,” she sighed, tilting the rest of the bag into her mouth. “That fight we had today was _nothing_ compared to some of the other ones she’s started. It was always her way or the highway. Still is I guess.” She balled the bag up in her hand but paused and shifted a bit towards Waverly. “Ho-how much of that did you hear?”

       Her cheeks reddened a bit. “Enough,” she whispered with a smile, kissing her on the cheek.

       Nicole almost said something else, but a knock at the door interrupted her. An older woman with a metal cart came in. “Hi there, Dear! I’m Cherry. I’ll be doing your cast today,” she said with a kind smile rolling the cart up to the bedside.

       Nicole sat up and swung her legs off the side. “Hi."

       “Lime green, aye?”

       “That wasn’t my decision,” she sighed. Waverly had a proud smile on her face.

       “Ah, I see. Well, you, My Dear, are actually going to help me,” she said, gesturing towards the younger girl.

       She got off the bed and went around to the other side. “Ok. What can I do?” 

       “You get to hold her fingers out straight cause I know she won’t hit you,” she answered.

       The couple looked at each other wide-eyed. “Noo,” the Officer whined.

       “It’s the only way I will be able to get the cast on, Hun. You'll get used to it after a while anyway, I promise.”

       She groaned. “Ugh, ok, let’s get this over with.” Waverly sat on the edge of the bed and Nicole took her jacket off and propped her arm up on top of the cart.

       “I’ll try to do this as fast as I can,” Cherry assured.

       Nicole nodded and looked at Waverly. “You ready?” The brunette asked.

       “Nope,” she sighed.

       Waverly swallowed and grabbed her fingers, slowly prying them open, wincing and cringing with apologies as she did so. It was a lot faster than Dr. Evans did it, which Nicole preferred, even though it hurt more. She could taste the blood in her mouth again by the end. “You ok, Nic?” Waverly asked as Cherry held a stockinette up to the Deputy's arm for measurements.

       “Never better,” she groaned with a smile. Cherry slipped a smaller stockinette over her thumb and then placed some padding between her pointer and middle and middle and ring fingers and pulled another stockinette over them. “Why that?”

       “Cause they are going in the cast, too. Did your doctor not mention it would be a three-finger cast?”

       “My _doctor_ was my ex-wife, Cherry, do you think she mentioned it?” Nicole asked with a glare.

       “Nic, quit,” Waverly chastised.

       “Sorry,” she muttered.

       “It’s ok. I am sorry about that. But, leaving your fingers to hang out all by themselves would do you no good, don’t ya think?” Cherry asked, slipping the final stockinette up to about mid-way on her arm.

       “That’s true, I guess.” She pinched the bridge of her nose.

       “Alright, so, now I am gonna apply the padding,” Cherry said as she grabbed a white roll from one of the shelves on the cart. She rolled it up and down her arm a few times until it was an inch or so thick. She set the roll down and pulled a pair of gloves on. “The outside of your cast is gonna be fiberglass, so you need to be careful if it starts to peel that you don't scratch yourself or anyone else with it,” Cherry warned as she rung out a neon green roll into a bag. She rolled it on slowly, pressing it down as she went. “Can you feel it getting warm?”

       “Yea,” Nicole answered.

       “Good, good.” Cherry finished up the casting job as Waverly watched her and Nicole intently. “So, don’t pick at it, don't stick anything down in there to scratch it, don’t bang it on anything, and don’t get it wet. Sound fair?” Nicole nodded. “Ok good. Dr. Pressman should be back in here to discuss further information with you. Good luck!” She called as she pushed the cart out the door. 

       “Thank you!” They called back in unison.

       As the door closed, Nicole slumped back on the bed. “This hurts like a _motherfucker_!” She winced, holding it to her chest.

       “I’m sorry, Baby,” Waverly said, climbing back up next to her. “Like Cherry said, you won’t even notice after a while, ok?”

       A few minutes later, the door came open and Shae walked in. “Cherry forgot to give you this,” she said as she flung a sling at Nicole. “Wear it every day all day until next Sunday cause that is your surgery date. Get here at 10 am. You are scheduled to go under at 12. Don’t drink alcohol the night before, _that might be a little hard for you though._ ” She gave Nicole a dirty look.

       “You know I'm not like that anymore, you bitch!” Nicole was off the bed and heading towards her, but Waverly caught her arm.

       “Sit down,” she demanded through her teeth. The redhead sighed and did so, jaw clenched sharply.

       “Ooh, you have tamed her well,” Shae chuckled.

       “What else do you want?” Waverly growled, walking up to the Doctor.

       “I got her a present.” Waverly took the folder and pulled the papers out. They were new divorce papers that Shae had signed. There was a line for Nicole’s name and sticky notes on the other pages where she needed to fill it out.

       She handed it to her. “Why didn’t you just sign mine?” She complained. 

       “They expired,” Shae responded, tossing a pen at her. “I got these the other day and planned on bringing them to you, but you came here, so good timing, Bitch.”

       “Mmm, thanks, took you long enough.” She positioned the pen in her fingers, which was even more difficult than it was with no cast. She flipped through the papers, filling it out where need be. She slipped them back in the folder and tossed it to Shae, along with the pen. “Nice doing business with ya,” she muttered. “Can we leave now?”

       “Please do,” Shae answered, slamming the door behind her. Nicole made a raspberry noise and stood up, slipping her jacket back on. She grabbed her hat off the chair and picked up her coffee.

       She looked at Waverly, who stood with her arms crossed. “Was that necessary?” She asked, glaring at her.

       “What? I told you she’s a bitch, Waves,” Nicole said, walking towards her.

       Waverly rolled her eyes and brought her hands to the redhead’s hips. “And you should be the bigger person by not being one.”

       “Yea, well . . . she’s just really a bitch.”

       Waverly smiled up at her and nodded her head in agreement. “C’mon. If I remember correctly we have some Taco Bell to pick up.” Nicole’s face lit up. Waverly gathered her things and they walked out of the room hand in hand.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “I don't like your sister. She doesn’t like Chalupas,” Nicole grumbled, making her way up the stairs.

       “I just don’t like her,” Waverly snorted. They walked into her room. “Why do you have to go to workkkk?” She complained, flopping onto the bed.

       “Because I need an incomeeee,” she answered, walking over to the closet and pulling her uniform down. She tossed her snapback onto her bag and pulled her shoes off.

       “But, you could be snuggling here with me all night instead of sitting at a desk,” Waverly persuaded. She was laying on her stomach at the end of the bed with her feet swaying in the air.

       “Though that would be _amazing_ , I don’t think Nedley would appreciate that. I'm already gonna miss a week or so when I get surgery.” She yanked her t-shirt off and slid her tank top on.

       “What time do you have to be there tonight?”

       “Shift starts at 7 and ends at 3, but I need to go feed CJ and stuff first.” She danced out of her pants and pulled her khakis off the hanger.

       Waverly pushed herself off the bed and walked up to her, placing her hands on her waist from behind. “You are gonna be so tired, though,” she whispered in her ear. Nicole turned around and Waverly slid her arms around her back, clasping them.

       The redhead smiled at her and placed the pants on her head. “Hold these,” she said with a chuckle as she grabbed her top off the final hanger. Waverly whined and tossed them on the bed. Nicole pulled her shirt on, yanking the sleeve over her cast. “Can you button me?”

       Waverly rolled her eyes and stepped closer to her, bringing the bottom button and hole together. “You’re gonna leave me all alone with Willa?” She pouted, followed by a dramatic sigh.

       “Wynonna and Gus are totally not here, too.” Waverly gave her a look as she finished the 3rd to last button at the top, leaving 2 open, just how Nicole liked it. “Thank you.” She gave her a peck on the forehead and grabbed her pants off the bed. She pulled them on and got her to tuck her shirt in for her.

       “Ima miss you,” she said softly, looking up at her with puppy dog eyes.

       “I’ll miss you, too, Waves,” she said back, pulling her in for a quick kiss. She walked over to her bag and threw all of her clothes in it, along with the hangers. She zipped it and pulled her boots on, successfully tying them after a few trial and errors. She stood and threw the strap of her gym bag over her shoulder. She shoved her phone and wallet into her pocket and walked over to a sad Waverly. “Mk, I’m gonna head out now.”

       Waverly pulled her into a hug, gripping the back of her shirt. She held her close for a good couple of seconds. “G’bye, Nic,” she sighed into her uniform.

       “Bye baby.” Waverly pulled back and gave her a half-hearted smile. Nicole kissed her nose and headed for the door.

       She was down the first step when she heard Waverly clear her throat. “Forget something?” She looked back and she saw the brunette holding the sling out in front of her. Nicole sighed an annoyed sigh and took it. Waverly followed her to the bottom of the stairs and helped her slip it on.

       “I don’t see what the point of this is,” she complained. “My arm’s not broken.”

       “It is to _stabilize_ your hand,” Waverly informed. Nicole huffed and headed towards the living room. “I expect you to wear that during your whole shift. Don’t think I won’t get Nedley to tell me if you’re slacking off.”

       “I will just for you,” Nicole sighed, placing her hand on her hip.

       “Mmm. You better,” she chuckled, standing up on her toes and pulling her in for a kiss.

       “Blech!” They pulled away, rolling their eyes.

       “Bye, Wynonna,” Nicole sighed.

       “Bye, Haught Dog,” Wynonna called back, raising a beer to her lips. “Don’t have to much fun tonight, wouldn’t want you to need a neon pink one, too!”

       “Ha ha, hilarious. Ok, I’m leaving. Bye Willa, bye Gus!” She opened the front door.

       “Bye!” They said in unison.

       “Please be careful,” Waverly warned as the redhead walked towards her cruiser.

       She opened the door and placed her Stetson on her head. “Always am, Ma’am.” She tipped her hat with a wink and climbed in the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh boy ooh boy. 
> 
> So, I made Shae a little evil, oopsie. We all needed a little angst in our lives, I think. 
> 
> Did ya'll expect that with her hand? 
> 
> Also, yea, I used the US system a few times. It's was much work to convert it, so if that bothered you, sorry bout ya!
> 
> Tell me what you thought in the comments below! :)


	18. Daddy Wasn't Lying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole meets up with Jeremy to talk about the DNA results.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters in 2 days?!?! Woah man!
> 
> This chapter is really short though. 
> 
> And it has a few weird time jumps, sorry about that. 
> 
> Definitely not my favorite that I have written tbh.

       Nicole trudged into her room, Calamity Jane at her feet. She was stiff from sitting in her car for 3 hours straight. She tossed her gym bag onto the bed and started unpacking it. Tossing her dirty clothes from the day before into her hamper, she pulled out her Police Academy hoodie. _What?_ This was the hoodie she had given to Waverly. She searched her bag and couldn’t find the one she wore there. Her tired brain finally put it together. Waverly must have switched them out. She let out a sigh and a smile formed on her face as she tossed it in the hamper.

       After changing and crawling into bed, her brain began to swirl of the thought that had been occupying her brain all night: _What did that text mean?_

 

**\-   -   -**

 

       Nicole hopped into her cruiser and unloaded the radar gun. She figured she would be doing a lot of this with her hand screwed up. The look of disappointment on Nedley’s face when she told him hurt her heart a little bit. She shook it off and pulled out of the parking lot and headed for her specified spot for the night.

       After an hour of being parked behind a building and holding the radar gun up, her brain was numb. She almost jumped out of her seat when she heard her phone ding on her lap. She let out a shaky breath and picked it up.

 

**Jeremy 💙 💩: We need to talk about these results, Nicole.**

**Nicky: ???**

**Jeremy 💙 💩: Meet me at the Cafe by my house tmrw. U pick when.**

 

       Nicole clicked out of messaging and went to her calendar. Her shift started at 2 the next afternoon. She tried to work out a time in her head.

 

**Nicky: How long will it take?**

**Jeremy 💙 💩: No clue**

**Nicky: I’ll be there at 9. U better tell me exactly what’s going on, I stg, Jeremy.**

**Jeremy 💙 💩: I will, trust me**

**Nicky: Good. Gtg, working.**

**Jeremy 💙 💩:  👊**

**Nicky:** 👊

 

       Her stomach churned. She could tell he was nervous. And Jeremy nervous made Nicole nervous. _What the fuck could be so confusing about DNA results?_ She shook her head and tossed her phone onto the seat next to her. It was going to be a _long_ night. She clicked the radio on and tried to relax a little bit.

 

**\-   -   -**

 

 _BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!_ Nicole flipped over with a grunt and felt around on her nightstand to shut off her phone. She sat up and rubbed her face. “7 is too early, Calamity.” She climbed off her bed and changed into her workout clothes.

       Now in the kitchen, she opened a can of cat food and dumped it into a bowl for CJ. She placed it on the floor and slumped into the living room. Putting her Fitbit on, she finished off her banana and tied her running shoes. She plugged her earbuds in her ears and headed out the door. She hadn’t been working out _half_ as much as she usually did. Being with Waverly during all of her free time, she just never had a chance to. Not that she wanted to spend less time with her _because, honestly, she wanted to be with her more,_ but she just needed to manage her time better. She stretched for a few minutes and then took off in a jog.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       She slowed up the sidewalk of her house about 30 minutes later, placing her hands on her knees when she reached the porch. The redhead caught her breath and checked her Fitbit. “5 miles? Not too shabby,” she wheezed, entering the house. She grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge and sipped some of it down. She wiped her face with a towel and headed upstairs to her makeshift-gym she had set up in one of the spare bedrooms. She did her post-run stretching and plopped down on a mat. She took one more chug of water and began doing some sit-ups. After 120 or so, she got up with a groan. She decided if she wanted to make it to the Cafe on time, she probably needed to start getting ready. She flipped the light off and headed back downstairs. Grabbing some clean clothes, the redhead hopped in the shower.

       At 8:30, she rushed out the door, dressed in a grey shirt with a red and black flannel unbuttoned over it, black skinny jeans, and high-top black vans. She even had her sling on, knowing Waverly would be so proud of her. She pulled away from her house and headed towards the cafe, stomach still churning with nervousness.

       She saw Jeremy’s bike propped up on the wall when she pulled up, so when she walked in, she spotted him right away. “Hey, Jer, sorry I’m late, I lost track of time.” She sat down across from him at the table. He looked up at her. She could see the bags under his eyes.

       “Hey,” he mumbled, pulling some papers out of his backpack. “Go get coffee or whatever while I get this set up.” Nicole hesitated for a second, wanting to say something, but decided she would let him run the show. She tapped the table and walked up to the register, ordering a caramel frappuccino. The barista rung her up and she paid. Her coffee was done within a few minutes and she walked back to the table, that was now scattered with papers.

       “Woahh,” she said, sitting back down.

       “I need you to tell me if I am going crazy or not,” he said, staring right into her eyes.

       “Ook, how do you want me to do that?” The papers had charts on them with rows of numbers and words explaining what they meant. She noticed at the tops of all the papers, a sticky note was covering something up.

       “You see these three papers?” He asked, pointing at the top row. Nicole nodded. “These are the three first tests, the ones I did that night you were there. I want you to look at these and tell me what’s wrong with them.”

       Nicole raised an eyebrow at him and leaned forward, examining them. She noticed the first two had very similar numbers, but the last one was a bit different. “That one has different numbers . . .” She said slowly, looking back up at him.

       “Ok, now look at the other two tests I did.”

       She glanced across them. They all had the same results as the first tests. “They are the same, Jer.”

       “Right. So it proves I didn’t mix up anything, right?”       

       “Right.”

       He gathered up the bottom two rows and shoved them back in his backpack, sliding the first test to the middle of the table. “Ok, so I am going to explain this in the most English way I can. The difference between them is not that big, proving that there is still some relation there.” Nicole raised her eyebrows. “I tested further. They all have the same mother, but . . . this one has a different father, Nicole.”

       “W-why would Willa be their half-sibling, that doesn’t make sense.”

       Jeremy let out a whine and yanked all the sticky notes off the paper, sticking the last test in her face. “Wh-whose name is that?” He asked.

       Nicole snatched it out of his hands and her eyes bugged out of their sockets. She stood up and ran her hand through her hair. “No. You must’ve mixed them up. There is no way, no.”

       Jeremy stood up and placed his arms on hers. “I didn’t, Nicole, I know I didn’t.” She looked at him and shook her head. “ _Waverly’s not an Earp_ ,” he whispered.

       She shook his hands off her and grabbed all three papers. The first one said Willa _L_ , the second said Wynonna _A_ , and the third said Waverly _Y_. “How . . . How am I gonna tell them that?!” Nicole asked, sitting back down.

       “I really don't know,” he mumbled. 

       “I . . . She . . . Can I take these?” She finally stammered out, holding up the papers.

       “Y-yea, sure, go ahead.” He pushed his hands through his hair and took a sip of his drink.

       “I’m gonna . . . yea. Thanks for doing this for me, Jer,” she breathed, standing up and grabbing her coffee.

       “Yea, no problem,” he sighed, gathering his things. She gave him a hug and he walked out of the Cafe.

       She blinked hard a few times and walked up to the counter again. “C-can I get a latte and 2 . . . vanilla dipped donuts?” She set her stuff down and pulled her wallet back out, handing her the cash. The barista placed the donuts in a bag and handed it to Nicole. She stuffed it in her sling and waited for the coffee.

       She somehow managed to get her car door open and hold onto all of her things. She placed the two coffees in the cup holders and the donuts and papers on the passenger seat. She sunk down in her seat and gave an attempt to piece it all together again.

       She let out a long steady breath after a few minutes, and pulled out of the parking lot, heading towards the Homestead.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Hey, Red! What’s poppin?” Wynonna answered after Nicole knocked on the door.

       “Is Waves up yet?” She asked, swallowing the nervousness that was creeping up her throat as she walked in. 

       “Nah, she was up late last night, reading or something like that,” Wynonna answered, looking down at all the stuff she was carrying. “Ooo, are one of those for me?!” She asked, pointing to the donuts.

       “Nope,” the redhead sighed, setting all of it down on the kitchen table. She flipped the papers face down and took a long drag of her coffee.

       “So, what are you here for exactly?” Wynonna questioned, eyeing the papers, but quickly looking back up at Nicole.

       “I, uh . . . just have to talk to her about some stuff,” she mumbled.

       Wynonna squinted her eyes at her, sitting down across from her. “What kind of _stuff_?” She pressed.

       Nicole shifted nervously in her chair.  “I’ll tell you _after_ I talk to her about it.” She took another sip of her coffee. Wynonna gave her a look.

       “ _No!! Get off me, Champ!! Stop it!! NOO!!_ ” Waverly’s screams filled the house. Wynonna and Nicole looked at each other, wide-eyed. They jumped out of their chairs and ran up the stairs, hearing the screams becoming more forceful and terrified as they went. Nicole yanked her sling off her head on her way up and was the first to her room. She swung the door open and saw Waverly thrashing around on the bed. She stood frozen, for she had never seen _anything_ like that before.

       Wynonna pushed past her and leaped onto her sister, holding her arms down like she had done once before. “Waverly!! Wake up, Babygirl!! Waverly, he’s not here!!” Wynonna shook her and tried to get her to wake up. Nicole moved to the edge of the bed, watching the scene unfold in front of her. Wynonna kept at it for a minute or two, but it wasn’t working. Waverly was still thrashing and screaming just as much, if not more than she was when they entered.

       “Alright, move!” Nicole jumped up on the bed and took Wynonna’s spot on top of the smaller girl. She pressed her arms down and used her feet to pin her legs down to the best of her ability. Wynonna pressed her hand over her own mouth as she watched her baby sister struggling. “C’mon, Baby, wake up!! Champ’s not here!! You’re safe, Waves!!”

       Waverly’s eyes shot open and she stopped struggling when they met Nicole’s. “N-Nic,” she choked out as more tears started to fall. Nicole pushed herself up and Waverly sat up, wrapping her arms around her neck. “I-I’m sor-sorry,” she blubbered, pressing her face into her neck.

       “Noo, shhh,” she whispered, rubbing her hand up and down her back.

       “ _Jesus_ , Waverly! Ya know, some people are trying to get some sleep in this house!” They all looked towards the door, where Willa was now standing with her arms crossed.

       “What the fuck, Willa?!” Wynonna barked, walking towards her. “She had a nightmare!”

       “That doesn’t mean she has to throw a fit about it!” The older one retorted.

       “Wynonna,” Nicole growled through her teeth. 

       “Go!” She pointed down the hall and Willa stomped off, Wynonna on her tail, slamming the door behind her.

       “You ok, Wave?” Nicole whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

       “Yea,” she sniffed. Nicole crawled off her lap and laid back on the bed. Waverly rolled the blanket up around her and curled up next to her.

       About 15 minutes later, Waverly finally spoke. “Why’re you here?” She asked, turning to her with her eyebrow cocked.

       “I, uh, brought you breakfast . . . and I need to talk to you abo-”

       The door swung open. “Nicole, what is this?!” Wynonna demanded, flapping the papers at her. She sat up quickly and peeled Waverly’s arm off her waist, walking over to the dark brunette.

       “Wynonna, I was gonna-”

       “You sure are gonna explain it. Right now, Haught.” She shoved the papers at her and sat on the edge of the bed. Waverly crawled over to her sister and Wynonna looked at her, swallowing a lump in her throat.

       Nicole cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her head. “Uh, wow, ok. This is really _not_ how I wanted to do this, but _someone_ decided to go through my shit. Uhm, so, I met with Jeremy this morning to get the results bac-”

       “Chetri?!” Wynonna asked, wide-eyed.

       “Yes, Earp, now if you want to know, shut up so I can explain it.”

       “Sorry,” she mumbled. Waverly leaned her head on her shoulder.

       “Jeremy gave me the results back . . . and it wasn’t what he or I or probably anyone expected.”

       “What do you mean?” Waverly asked, looking at her attentively.

       Nicole pursed her lips, trying to figure out how to say it. She decided she would do it as Jeremy did with her. She folded the tops down on all of the papers and sat in between the sisters, handing each of them one. “So, you see these numbers here?” She asked pointing to her paper. They both nodded. “Ok, so compare them with the other two sheets.”

       The girls looked at each one, bringing it up to their face and scanning down them. “This one is different,” Wynonna said, pointing to the one Waverly was holding. Nicole bit her cheek and nodded. “Ok, so what’s that mean?”

       “It means these two are sisters . . . and this one is your half-sister,” she whispered.

       “Willa’s our half-sister?!” They both asked, raising their eyebrows at Nicole.

       She felt like she was going to throw up. She bent the tops up on all of the papers with a shaky hand and stood up, walking to the other side of the room. “I’m not an Earp . . .” She heard Waverly whisper after a few seconds. Her heart shattered and she squeezed her eyes together. “Daddy wasn’t lying.” She spun around with her arms crossed and hand over her mouth. “That . . . that’s why he hated me so much, Wy. He told me.”

       “He didn’t hate you,” Wynonna said, wiping a tear from her face.

       “Quit lying to yourself, Nonna, you know he did. You two were the golden children and I was always left behind or getting beat up on. He forgot my birthday . . . twice.”

       “Babygirl,” Wynonna cooed.

       Waverly got up off the bed and slowly walked up to Nicole. She put her head down. “Nicole.” She tilted her chin up.

       “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, bringing her eyes to Waverly’s. “I was just trying to he-”

       Waverly shook her head. “S’not your fault, ok? Don’t you _ever_ think that it is.” Nicole brought her forehead down and pushed it against Waverly’s, letting a breath out.

       “I’m gonna go talk to Gus.” Wynonna stood and walked out of the room with the papers. Waverly pressed her lips gently against Nicole’s, tasting her salty tears on them.

       Nicole pulled away. “You better go get those donuts before Wynonna gets ahold of them,” she sniffed, giving her a small smile.

       The smaller girl's face lit up. “You brought donuts?” She asked eagerly.

       Nicole nodded her head. “Vanilla dipped,” she added with a wink. Waverly grabbed her hand and basically dragged her down the stairs. "Your coffee is probably cold, though."

       “HANDS OFF, WYNONNA! THEY ARE MINE!” Wynonna dropped the bag and dashed out the front door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof...
> 
> I think most of you already expected that, but still.
> 
> Waverly was so calm about it. Has it just not hit her yet, or is she really not that surprised?
> 
> I guess we will have to see.......


	19. Don't Follow Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Idrk how to summarize this chapter. 
> 
> Basically dipping our feet into a little Wayhaught angst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while, aye? Sorry about that. I was out of town for a while and I am getting ready to graduate next week, so a lot is going on in my personal life rn. 
> 
> Also didn't help that I was in a bit of a writer's block for a day or two...
> 
> I think you guys will like this chapter tho, so it's ok. 
> 
> Enjoy!!

       “Yea, you better be putting that back on,” Waverly joked, eyeing Nicole from across the room as she slid her sling back on.

       “I am, ain’t I?” She argued with a smirk, walking and sitting across from her at the table. Waverly gave her a small smile as she looked into her eyes. They sat like that for a few seconds, moment breaking when Nicole saw a flash of uncertainty rush through them. She slid her hand across the table and placed it over the brunette’s. “Can you promise me something?”

       “Hmm?” Waverly questioned, raising her eyebrow.

       “That you are going to stop holding your feelings in.” Waverly slowly dropped her head with a sigh, and Nicole ran her thumb along the length of her hand. “Because it is ok to not be ok. I need you to know that. I can’t just sit here and watch you suffer, Baby, that’s not fair. Not to me or you. I need you to trust me. You-”

       Waverly raised her head with a clenched jaw. “I do trust you,” she mumbled.

       Nicole tilted her head a bit. “Then why do you keep hiding from me? From all of us?” She asked gently.

       Waverly slipped her hand back to her lap and Nicole swallowed at the loss of contact. “Cause I’m fine,” she answered almost in a growl, shifting in her chair.

       Nicole shook her head slightly and pushed her hand through her hair. “I don’t need a mind reader to see that your not, Waves.”

       The brunette looked up at her with hard eyes. “I am _fine_ , ok?” She said in an attempt to sound stern, but her voice broke with the last syllable. She quickly pushed her chair back and stomped towards the stairs.

       “Waverly,” Nicole pleaded, following her to the bottom of the staircase.

       “We have known each other for a _week,_  Nicole, quit acting like you know exactly _who_ I am and _what_ I am feeling,” she snapped, pushing her finger into Nicole’s chest and making her way up the stairs. “ _Don’t_ follow me.”

       Nicole stepped back a bit, feeling like she had just been shot in the heart. Her brow furrowed and she looked down, pursing her lips. She didn’t notice when Waverly looked at her for a second when she reached the top of the stairs with tears already rolling down her cheeks. The redhead trudged towards the table, grabbing her belongings, and headed towards the door.

       Her hand was on the door handle, but it swung open at her. “Woah, Haughty, sorry, didn’t see you th- Hey . . . who kicked your puppy?” Wynonna finished, noticing the look on her face. Nicole made an attempt to meet her eyes, but couldn’t, so she just looked past her, sucking one side of her cheek in. “My sister kicked your puppy,” she mumbled to herself. 

       “Can I go?” She asked quietly.

       Wynonna stepped to the side. “She’ll get over whatever it is, you know she will,” Wynonna said in an attempt to reassure her.

       “Yea, well, apparently _I don’t know her at all,_ ” she said almost in a mocking tone as she walked towards her car.

       Wynonna cocked an eyebrow. “I’ll talk to her.”

       “Good luck getting anything out of _that_.” She slammed her car door and started it, quickly pulling away from the Homestead.

 

**___**

 

       Wynonna watched her leave, feeling _very_ confused. She shook her head and headed inside. Walking up to the cabinet, she pulled a full bottle of whiskey out, took a few sips, and stuffed it back in there. She knew Waverly had to be pretty pissed off to make Nicole _that_ upset, and a pissed off Waverly was never any fun. She slumped up the steps reluctantly and tapped on her door. “Babygirl?” She asked softly. “Can I come in?”

       “Go for it,” she heard come from the other side of the door, so she slowly pushed it open. The curtains over the window had been drawn shut, the lights were off, and she saw a lump of blankets curled up at the edge of the bed.

       She let out a sigh and sat on the opposite edge of the bed. “You ok, Waves?”

       “Yep,” she answered flatly with a sniff.

       “Are you sure about that?”

       “Yep.”

       “Cause that girl of yours looked pretty upset leaving here, ya know.” She pulled her legs up onto the bed and laid back, looking up at the ceiling.

       She heard a sniff that seemed to be cut short with a sob of some sort. “Yep,” she answered, shakily this time.

       “Babygirl,” she said, turning to face her back. “You know you can talk to me about whatever it is.”

       “Doesn’t mean I am going to.”

       “She didn’t do anything to you, did she?” Wynonna asked, pushing herself up a bit. She hadn’t thought about that yet.

       “ _No_ -” Waverly answered defensively but quickly corrected herself to a flatter tone. “No, she didn’t, Wynonna.” She sunk farther into the bed, pulling the blankets up closer to her face.

       “Waverly, will you just tell me what happened so I can help you?” Wynonna begged.

       Waverly flipped to look at her with a grunt, face heavily tear-stained. “I don’t need your help. Or _hers_. Now, will you all just leave me the fuck alone?”

       Wynonna’s eyes widened, for she rarely saw this side of her baby sister. She swallowed the lump in her throat and sat up, getting off the bed. “Yea . . . whatever you want, Waves,” she sighed, noticing the dark blue hoodie on the bedpost. She picked it up and looked at the front, recognizing it as Nicole’s. She brought her eyes back to Waverly. “Y-you want this?” She asked, holding it out in front of her.

       Waverly’s eyes traced over it for a few seconds and Wynonna saw tears come back to her eyes. “No,” she sniffled, flipping back over.

       The older Earp sighed and placed it on the pillow she had previously been laying on. “Holler if you need me, I guess.”

       “Mmm.” Wynonna gently closed the door and went back downstairs heading straight for the liquor cabinet again.

 

**___**

 

       After Waverly heard the click of the door, she let out the long, shaky breath that she had been holding deep in her lungs. Out of nowhere, her heart began to race and she felt as if she couldn’t breathe. _Panic attack,_ she thought to herself. _That’s what this is_. She sat up and tried to breathe slowly in and out, but she couldn’t calm herself down. Her mind was spinning of all kinds of thoughts, but she couldn’t even tell what they were. She was gasping for air at this point, face turning a light shade of blue. Looking around, she saw the hoodie on the pillow, realizing that was where Wynonna had left it. The brunette quickly snatched it up and brought it to her face, taking in the scent of Nicole. She laid back on her pillow, still holding it there, and her heart began to slowly even out. Her breathing became steadier, and her hands stopped shaking. She wiped her face of tears with the hoodie and pulled it back up over her nose. She eventually drifted off to sleep with it in her arms.

 

**___**

 

       Nicole pulled up to her house and wiped her purple blotched, tear-stained face with the inside collar of her shirt. It was a miracle that she had made it home. She had sobbed the whole way back from the Homestead, not being able to see the road one bit. She let out a groan and swung the car door open, spewing the remains of her stomach onto the grass, getting some on her sling somehow. Slowly sitting back up straight, she wiped her face once more and headed straight to the shower for the second time that day. She really didn’t know what to be feeling. She wasn’t mad at Waverly, that was for sure. She was mad at herself. She never wanted to make her mad like that, that was the last thing she would ever want. Shaking her head, she drew the shower curtain open and stepped in.

       After getting out, it was only a little after 11 o’clock, so she decided she had some time to kill before work. Now in a light t-shirt and shorts, she plopped onto her bed and set her alarm for 1. Rolling around a bit, she sighed, not able to get comfy. She opened her eyes a bit, noticing something colorful hanging off her headboard. Opening them all the way, she remembered it was Waverly’s cat hoodie that she had _borrowed_. She reluctantly pulled it on over her head with a grunt and laid back down, feeling calmness rush over her. Exhaustion pulled her eyes closed and she fell asleep within minutes, CJ purring at her feet. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Baaaaaabygirllllll?” Waverly’s eyes fluttered open to see Wynonna kneeling in front of her, shaking her shoulder.

       “Hmm?” She stretched her legs out, hearing her knees pop.

       “Dolls wants to meet with us to talk about Bobo’s party this weekend. You need to get ready so we can go.” Wynonna gave her a small smile. She noticed the hoodie in her sister’s arms and had to bite her tongue to keep a comment down.

       “Mmm, what time is it?” Waverly asked, sleep still in her voice.

       “A little after 4.”

       Waverly sat up and rubbed her eyes. “I’ll be down in a few.” Wynonna patted her arm and exited her room. Waverly untangled herself from her mountain of blankets and stretched her arms out with a groan. Walking over to her closet, she searched around for something to throw on. Deciding on a pair of grey leggings, she yanked them up her legs and searched for a shirt. She found one of her cheer camp t-shirts from high school in the back of her closet and pulled it on with a smile.

       She thought for a second before pulling her door open and sticking her head out. “Nonna?!” She called down the stairs.

       “What?!” Her sister called back.

       “Is it cold out?!”

       “A little! I’d bring a jacket or something!”

       “Ok!” She pulled the door closed and went back to her closet to try to find something. “No . . . no . . . _definite_ no.” She couldn’t find anything that looked appealing to her at the moment.

       “C’mon, Waves! We got places to be, people to see!” She heard Wynonna call from the bottom of the stairs. She let out a sigh as she tapped on the metal bar in her closet. Turning around, she walked back to her bed, picking up that _stupid fucking_ police flag hoodie, and slipped it on over her shirt. _Why did I do that?_ She asked herself as she pulled her hair into a high messy bun and pulled the hood up over the back of her head, just behind the bun.

       “Good enough,” she muttered to herself as she stuck her feet into slip-on sneakers.

       “Waverly!”

       “I’m coming!” She shouted as she shoved her phone in her pocket and headed down the steps. Wynonna eyed her, tracing her eyes up and down her. “What?”

       “Nothing,” she replied with a smile. “Go on, get in the truck.”

       Waverly nodded and headed outside, climbing up into the passenger seat. Wynonna plopped herself in the driver’s seat a few seconds later and started it up. Waverly’s ears started to bleed as heavy metal blasted through the speakers.  “Nope, not if I am in here,” She complained and flipped the station to something more her style.

       “Are you hating on my Slipknot?” Wynonna asked, raising her eyebrows at her as she turned out of the Homestead.

       “Sure am,” she replied with a sigh.

       Wynonna placed her hand against her chest and gasped dramatically. “How _dare_ you!” Waverly rolled her eyes at her with a small smirk on her face. The rest of the ride was quiet, besides the racecar noises Wynonna made as she turned a few corners. She parked close to the entrance of the station and they both hopped out. “Ready, Freddy?” Wynonna asked as she fixed her bra in the mirror.

       “Yea,” Waverly replied, watching her with a disgusted look on her face. They walked into the station, heading in the BBD office. Waverly greeted Doc and Dolls, sitting down on the couch in the corner.

       “I want food,” Wynonna stated, already halfway out the door. Doc and Dolls let out an annoyed sigh at the same time. Waverly shook her head and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She heard footsteps a few minutes later.

       “Yes, Wynonna, you are  _hilarious_ ,” she heard Nicole say sarcastically as she walked in the room after her sister. Waverly’s eyes shot open. She hadn’t taken into consideration that Nicole was  _also_ part of Black Badge. It seemed that Nicole hadn’t even noticed that she was sitting in the corner of the room.

       “Ok, now that  _we are all here_ ,” Dolls said, glaring at Wynonna, who was chowing down on a cookie. “We can get started. I have a map of the building here, all of you gather around the table.” Waverly pushed herself up from the couch and Nicole looked over at her. She bit the inside of her bottom lip nervously and dipped her head a little as she walked over to the table, seeing the Officer’s eyes widened at her, also seeming to have not realized she would be there. Nicole sat down and was just about to cross her legs when Waverly slumped onto her lap. Her body went stiff and she looked at the brunette with confusion written all over her face.

       “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, burying her face into her neck.

       Nicole’s muscles relaxed and she traced her fingers up her side, pulling her closer. “It’s ok,” she said softly, looking down at her with a half-smile. Waverly smiled a sincere smile and kissed her cheek. Nicole was still _very_ confused, but she could ask questions later. She scooted the chair in right as Dolls began to speak. 

       “The whole town has been invited to this party, so it will not be too suspicious that we are all there. The people there will most likely not figure that anything is out of the ordinary. That's not the case, though. I have divided us into teams of 2 to survey the area. Earp and Doc, you will have the entrance.” He pointed to an area on the blueprint in front of him. “I need you to be watching for suspicious-looking people and suspicious-looking activity. Wynonna, you have seen most of the people in this town before, so if you see someone you don’t recognize, you need to keep an eye on them.” 

       “Aye, aye, Captain!” She responded with a salute.

       “Doc, you need to be on the lookout for people . . . not of this time.” He looked up at Doc with a sneaky grin. Doc tipped his hat towards him. “Haught and Waverly.” The Officer glanced up at him, but Waverly’s eyes stayed transfixed on the button she was messing with on Nicole’s top.

       “Waves,” Nicole whispered, tapping her thigh.

       “Yea?” She asked, looking up at her. Nicole pointed to Dolls with a smile. “Oh . . . Sorry.” Her face turned a dark shade of pink.

       Dolls gestured towards the middle of the paper. “You two will be in the ballroom. I need your eyes and ears open. The point of going to this is to try and get something we can use to arrest Bobo. To my understanding, Waverly, you have a _friendlier_ relationship to him than the rest of us, so if you get a chance, maybe start a conversation, try to get something out of him.” Nicole squinted her eyes at her after hearing this information.

       Waverly looked up at her with a toothy smile. “I’ll tell you later,” she promised, patting her chest.

       Her eyebrows went up. “Uh, _yea_ , you will.” Waverly rested her head back against her, spinning the silver band on the redhead's left thumb.

       “Agent Haught, your job will be to eavesdrop on Bobo’s crew’s conversations. They won’t suspect that from you. We will all be getting earpieces to communicate with each other, but you will be getting a sound enhancement one as well. Sound good?”

       “Yes, sir,” Nicole confirmed.

       “ _Agent Haught_ ,” Waverly whispered huskily in her ear.

       The Officer's face turned red and she slapped her on the arm. “ _Waverly_ ,” she chastised quietly through her teeth.

       “Ahem,” the older Earp coughed. The couple's faces were both blushed as they smiled up at Wynonna.

       “Nedley and I will be making rounds around the whole building, searching for things and chatting with people, asking what they know. The party starts at 7 and ends at 11 on Saturday. I expect all of you here at 6 so we can go over a few more things and I’d like to meet back here after so we can go over anything that we’ve discovered. It’s a formal event, and I expect nothing less than that. One final thing, _no drinking whatsoever_. I want us all alert just in case something does happen.”

       “Really, Dolls?” Wynonna complained.

       “I mean it, Earp. Unless you want to be kicked from the mission, hands off.”

       “Fine,” she sighed, crossing her arms and slumping down in her chair.

       “I think that’s it. Anyone have any questions?” Dolls asked, standing up from his chair. Everyone shook their head, mumbling out no’s. “Alright then, I’ll see you all Saturday. I need to relay this information to Nedley in a more . . . _proper_ manner.” Dolls grabbed his blueprint and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Waverly slowly stood up from Nicole’s lap and turned sideways to crack her back.

       The Officer stood up with a groan and brought her hands to Waverly’s, taking one in each. “Let’s go talk?” She asked, but it was more of a statement.        

       Waverly nodded and Nicole headed for the door, leading Waverly with her hand on the small of her back. “Where’s your sling?” She demanded as they walked into Haught’s office.

       Nicole let out an airy sigh as she sat down at her desk and rolled over to Waverly on the couch. “It’s, uh . . . in the laundry,” Nicole said, rubbing the back of her neck and pulling her top lip in with her tongue.

       “Why?” Waverly asked, straightening the collar that she had just messed up.

       Nicole twisted back and forth in her chair a bit before spinning completely around as she spoke. “Kinda threw up all over it.”

       Waverly caught the arm of the chair and made her face her again. “Nicole . . . ?” She moved her hands to the outside of her thighs to keep her from trying to move away again.

       “Hmm?” Her eyes met hazel ones again. Nervous hazel ones. Waverly drew in a breath and swallowed. “Oh, you want to know why?” She asked, a little more forcefully than she had meant to. “Right.” She pushed herself away from her and stood up. “Well, my girlfriend _kinda_ blew up at me, rightfully so, and now I feel like a real bitch, ya know?” Waverly stood up and slowly walked over to her. “So, when I left, I was real fuckin upset cause I made you upset, and I never want that. That’s, like, the number one thing I told myself I would _never_ do.” 

       “Nic,” she said quietly, reaching out for her hand.

       “I ended up pulling a you. Sobbing so hard that I threw up. My lawn is now beautifully decorated along with my sling.” She pulled away from Waverly and turned around.

       “Nicole,” Waverly said again, voice cracking, trying to calm her down a little bit.

       The Officer spun quickly back around, tears starting to roll. “I’m just so, _so_ sorry, Waves. I should have never pu-”

       “ _Nicole_.” She brought her hands to her cheeks, wiping her tears with her thumbs. “I’m not mad at you.”

       Her forehead creased. “Wh-your not?”

       “Would I be wearing this if I was?” She asked with a smile, tilting her head and gesturing down to her hoodie.

       “I guess not . . .”

       Waverly slid her hands down to her waist, interlocking her fingers behind her back. “No, I wouldn’t. Nic, I . . . I don’t know why I went off on you like that. I really don’t. Because I didn’t mean it . . . at all. I promise you that.”

       Nicole nodded and pressed her forehead against the smaller girl’s. “Ok,” she breathed. “I thought you hated me for a while there.”

       “I could never hate you,” Waverly assured with a smile, arching herself into the redhead and running her finger along her jaw, drawing her in for a kiss.

       Nicole sighed into it, letting her body relax. “Ditto,” she mumbled, walking them towards the door and pinning her against it, hoping it wouldn't trigger her in any way. But she just looked up at her with heart eyes, so she knew she was good. She gave her a cocky smile as she twisted the lock and Waverly’s mouth came open a smidge, corners upturned, before she drew Nicole’s head back to her's, finding her tongue with her own. Nicole let out a small moan and moved them from window to window, reaching up and twisting the blinds shut, not once breaking the kiss. Waverly moved her hands down the Officer’s body, feeling every curve until they met her hips. She gripped the tucked in fabric and pulled it out, finding no tank top below like there usually was. She let out a giggle, pushing her tongue out between her teeth, looking up at the taller girl with a grin. Nicole rolled her eyes as she tugged at the bottom of the hoodie, asking permission. Waverly brought her arms down and pulled it off in one quick motion, tossing it to the side. Nicole looked down at her girlfriend with a smile, but her cheeks went bright red as she pushed her back a little bit, staring at her shirt.

       “You ok there?” Waverly asked with a laugh.

       Nicole looked up at her with a set of wide eyes. “Y-you were a cheerleader?” She asked, giving her the funniest look.

       “Yeaaa . . . You didn’t know that?” She ran her thumbs along her bare hips.

       “I did not,” she answered, glancing back down at the shirt. “It just . . . used to be my thing . . . I guess it still is.” She gave her a wink.

       Waverly shook her head with a smile, sliding her hands to Nicole’s backside, pulling her impossibly closer. “I see . . . Well, is there a problem now that you know about my previous status as cheer captain?” She asked sarcastically.

       “Captain, huh?” Nicole licked her lips and kissed her way up to Waverly’s ear. “You must be _very_ flexible then,” she whispered, sending chills down the shorter girl's spine.

       “That I am,” she whispered back, letting out a few breathy moans and gripping her ass harder as the redhead nipped at her ear lobe. Nicole chuckled at the idea that popped into her head as she worked her way back to Waverly’s lips. She slowly slid her hand from Waverly’s hair, down her chest, and back behind her. She scooped her up, making Waverly giggle as she kissed around her face. The brunette locked her ankles behind her and wrapped her arms around her neck. “You have fun doing that, don’t you?” She asked, stroking the hairs at the base of her neck.

       “Mmm, yea. But you know what is more fun?” Waverly raised her eyebrows at her. “This.” Nicole spun them around and vigorously pushed Waverly against the wall, maybe, _just maybe,_  bucking her hips up into her as she did so.

       The smaller one quickly inhaled as her eyelashes fluttered. “Nicole,” she breathed out, able to meet her eyes now. The redhead gave her a shit-eating grin. “This is _definitely_ more fun, yea.” Nicole chuckled as she slid her uncasted hand up her shirt, rubbing her thumb along her ribs and Waverly pulled her bottom lip out with her teeth, letting it go with a cheeky smile. She kissed her way down to her neck, nibbling on her pulse point.

       “Fuck,” Nicole moaned, throwing her head back and thrusting her hips forward involuntarily. Waverly breathed a moan against her neck, making Nicole feel warmer in a whole bunch of places. She pulled back, looking down at the branding she had just left on her. She cupped the back of her head, crashing their lips together. She felt around on the Officer’s front, finding the top-most unbuttoned button on her shirt. She gave it a tug, pulling back from the kiss to look at Nicole for approval, and the way Nicole licked her lips was a definite answer. She bit her bottom lip with a smile before pulling her back in by the collar. She undid the first button, working her way down the line. She reached the bottom and brought her hands back to the top, flicking it open around her chest, inhaling deeply. 

       “Officer Haught,” she said, peeling her eyes away and looking deeply into her eyes. “Who gave you permission to be this _dang_ beautiful?”

       Nicole rolled her eyes playfully above a blush.“Oh  _please_ , have you looked at yourself recently? Cause I would be lying if I said you weren’t the most gorgeous thing I have ever laid my eyes on.”

       Waverly’s face blushed deeper than Nicole’s from the mixture of the compliment and her drawl. “Can you _not_ make me swoon for, like, .2 seconds please?” She joked, clasping her hands behind her neck.

       Nicole grinned and nuzzled her nose with her own. “Nope.”

       Waverly sighed, looking at her with heart eyes. Nicole continued on with the kissing, resituating Waverly in her arms as she pulled away from the wall, heading for the couch. “Top,” Waverly mumbled in between kisses, releasing her ankles.

       Nicole raised her eyebrows. “Yes, Ma’am,” she responded as Waverly’s feet hit the floor. She brought her hands to Nicole’s shoulders, tracing her thumbs across her collarbones, and slowly backing her all the way to the couch, giving her a good shove at the end so she fell backward. Nicole bit her lip as she resituated herself to lay down, and Waverly slipped in between her legs, giggling profusely. “You should do that more often . . . for science, of course,” the Officer commented, drumming her fingers up Waverly’s thigh to her hip.

       “Don’t have to ask me twice.”

       Nicole smiled and Waverly dipped her head to meet her mouth, fingers gripping her hair. She slid her hand up Waverly’s shirt, bringing it around to her back, hooking her fingers on the hem. Waverly sat completely upright, practically ripping her own shirt off, so she now was left with just a bra. Dropping her head again, she went straight for Nicole’s neck, slowly beginning to rock her hips into her. “Good job,” she breathed. “You didn’t get stuck this time.”

       Waverly sat up with a pout. “You are never going to let me live that down, are you?” She asked, sticking her finger under the bottom elastic of Nicole’s sports bra, straightening out the folds.

       “How could I? That was some high-quality entertainment.”

       Waverly rolled her eyes. “I am glad my struggles amused you, Nic,” she sighed. 

       She smirked. “You know what else I like?”

       The brunette raised her eyebrow at her. “Mm, what’s that?”

       “The faces you make. They’re great,” she said, opening her hand and pushing her thumb and pointer finger together.

       “Oh yea, which ones?”

       “Well, all of them, cause I just like your face." She pinched her cheek. "But, your _focused face_ is  _adorable_. And that face you made when we drove past those cows the other day almost made me throw up happy faces.” Waverly blushed, and Nicole looked up at her, biting her cheeks. “But, _this_ face is priceless.”

       “What face?” She asked, a bit confused.

       “This one.” Nicole grabbed Waverly’s hand that was resting on her stomach and brought it up, clamping it down on her breast. Nicole smiled an open smile, observing the face, which was _just_  as she imagined it would be. She heard Waverly’s breath stall and saw her eyes widen downwards, mouth popping open. She held in a laugh as she watched Waverly gather her bearings and slowly raise her eyes to her’s, face redder than Nicole's hair. “You good, or you need another minute?” NiSHecole asked, tilting her head and pulling her bottom lip in with her tongue.

       “I’m goo-” Nicole let out a small chuckle, hearing the smaller girl’s voice stick to her throat. She released her hand, and Waverly moved it down to her hip, digging her nails in purposely. “You have to warn me next time you do something like that.”

       “But, there is no fun in that,” she complained, tracing circles around her abs with her thumb.

       Waverly nodded, pursing her lips before shifting her knee right into Nicole’s, at the moment, _very_ sensitive spot, making her moan a little bit louder than Waverly was expecting. She fell forward onto her, snickering into her chest. Nicole brought her hand down, smacking her ass. “That was very rude of you, Waverly Earp,” Nicole said through her teeth, _still_ trying to catch her breath.

       “Oh, sorry, did you want a _warning_ next time?” Waverly asked, sitting up and giving her a look.

       Nicole sighed, dropping her head as she accepted her defeat before quickly looking up and flipping them over, towering over the brunette with a proud smile. “You have lost your privileges, Missy.” She gave Waverly a wink, before shifting her body down and dropping her head for a kiss. Propped up on her elbow, she pushed her hips into the smaller girl, sliding her hand down from her neck to her chest, giving it a thoughtful squeeze, opening her eyes and glancing up as she moved down from her lips to her jawline. She smirked, seeing the girl’s eyes rolled back and hearing curses whispered out.

       A series of loud knocks at the door separated them. “Haught, why the hell is this door locked? I will _physically_ hurt you if my sister _just so happens_ to be in there with you!” They both looked at each other wide-eyed before Nicole began to button her shirt and Waverly flew off the couch to throw her own shirt back on.

       Rushing to the door, she unlocked it, sticking her head out. “Hey, Nonna! What’s up?” She asked nervously, stepping out the door and shutting it behind her, leaning on the doorframe. She swallowed when she heard Wynonna suck in a breath of air.

       “Can you two not last _3 seconds_ without going at it like rabbits?!” She asked, throwing her arms out in front of her.

       “Wynonna, we weren't- No,” she retorted. 

       “Yea, mhm, ok. Anyway, Gus is making dinner, she said you need to invite Officer Bang Bang cause she wants _all the family there_ or something like that.”

       Waverly smiled at the fact that Nicole was already family to Gus. “Ok, I’ll ask her. Anything else?” 

       “Nope.” Waverly nodded, cracking the door back open. “Oh yea, Waves? I do have one more thing.” Waverly turned back to look at her sister. “You’re shirt’s on backward,” she informed, raising her eyebrows at her. Waverly’s eyes widened as she looked down, seeing a plain grey shirt. Her face reddened and she slipped back through the door, finding Nicole still struggling with her buttons. She walked over to her, flipping her shirt forwards.

       “What’d she wa- Why is your face so red?”

       Waverly cleared her throat as she took over buttoning. “My shirt was on backward,” she mumbled, looking up at Nicole when she let out a snort.

       “Oh no, I’m sorry,” she said, still laughing.

       “Well, she’s calling _you_ Officer Bang Bang now.” Nicole’s laughter seized. She threw her head back, letting out an annoyed groan as Waverly rolled her sleeves, evening them out. “Yea, mhm. She said Gus wants you over for _family dinner_ ,” she added, looking up at her, nervous for her reaction.        

       Nicole’s eyes softened and a warm smile slid onto her face. She pressed her forehead against Waverly’s. “I will be there,” she whispered assuringly.

       Waverly ran her thumbs along the bottom of her cheekbones and gave her a kiss. “When do you get off?” She asked, walking to the other side of the room to grab the hoodie off the floor.

       “Right now, after I talk to Nedley,” Nicole replied with a wink, tucking her shirt back in.

       “Are you sure he is ok with you messing with your schedule all of the time?” She pulled the front of Nicole’s shirt straight, sliding her hands up, doing away with some of the wrinkles.

       “He’s Nedley, Wave. He’d tell me so if he didn’t like it. And I work enough overtime to make up for it anyway.” Waverly nodded. Nicole headed for the door. “Is it cool if we run by my house first, I wanna change.”

       “Yea, I’ll go tell Wy that you’re coming.” Nicole flashed her a smile and left out the door.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “What’s she makin’?” The redhead asked, pulling into the Homestead driveway.

  
       “I dunno,” Waverly sighed. “Let’s go find out.” She opened her door but paused when she heard yelling, now noticing that the front door was wide open. They both looked over at each other.

       Nicole clenched her jaw, leaning across Waverly and pulling a gun out of the glovebox. She cocked it, looking back to Waverly with softer eyes. “Stay behind me,” she ordered gently. Waverly nodded quickly and Nicole jumped out of the car, still getting used to the feeling of a gun in her left hand. She made her way quickly to the door, Waverly keeping her distance at about 5 feet behind. Nicole pressed her back against the wall by the doorframe and the brunette decided to do the same too. She held her hand palm out to Waverly, ordering her to stay. She swallowed, gripping the wood of the house. Nicole softened her eyes at her, grabbing her hand and kissing her knuckles in order to try and ease her fear. Waverly nodded and Nicole knew it was time to move in. She raised her gun, stepping in the doorway, doing a sweep of the room. Waverly saw her drop her gun back to her hip and roll her eyes.

       “Bobo, what the hell are you doing here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop . . . there it is . . . 
> 
> Did ya'll like this chapter? Let me know below. 
> 
> I know I say it a lot, but your comments and Kudos really really mean a lot to me, so thank you guys so much! 
> 
> I'm not sure how long it will take me to get the next chapter out because I am still quite busy. 
> 
> Things should be back to normal in a week or two. :)


	20. Who Wants Beer?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Doc join the Earps and Gus for dinner after dealing with an unexpected visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oo, this chapter is coming out faster than I thought it would, so you are welcome for that. 
> 
> Ya'll in for some TEAAAAAA
> 
>  
> 
> Sorry, kinda short compared to my last couple, but oh whale.
> 
> Also, sorry for the weird formatting glitch with the parts that are italicized, I don't really know what to do about that so . . .

       Willa, Wynonna, and Waverly all sat on one side of the table (forced upon by Gus and Nicole) while Nicole sat on the edge, gun at her hip, locked and loaded. Gus was on the other edge, pointing a shotgun right at Bobo, who was sitting on the opposite side from the three Earp girls.

       “I don't see why this kind of treatment is necessary for him. He just came by to say hello!” Willa complained, propping her head up on her arm.

       Wynonna and Waverly threw her a glare. “You realize that he is one of the _most_ _dangerous_ men in this town, right?” Waverly huffed, getting her a warned look from Nicole. She sat back in her chair, crossing her arms.

       Nicole pinched the bridge of her nose. “ _Anyways._ What _are_ you doing here?” She asked the man. “And _how_ are you here?”

       Bobo snickered and threw his leg over the other. “Well, I just came by to see how Willa was settling in. I heard she came back from the dead and I had to see it for myself.” He threw a smile in her direction. “And for your other question . . . I guess no one has fixed that _problem_ since the attack.”

       “You best believe you are gonna keep his name outta your mouth _or so help me_ ,” Gus snarled, readjusting her gun.

       “What are you talking about? What _problem_?” Wynonna demanded.

       Bobo casted his glance towards her, eyebrows furrowed. “Revenants used to not be able to walk your land, it was impossible. But, _someone_ must have, I don't know, _buried_ the talisman years back.” He flicked his eyes to Waverly, but quickly back to Wynonna. “And now we have been free to.”

       Everyone turned to look at the youngest Earp, who seemed to be lost in thought. “Waves . . .?” Nicole said quietly.

       Waverly looked up at Nicole with worry in her eyes, but she snapped them to Bobo, standing up and rushing to the other side of the table. “You made me do that on purpose, didn’t you!?” She was trying to get closer to him, but Nicole was holding her back, now standing with a strong arm wrapped around her front. “You told me it would make them stop fighting! Bu-but . . . You were supposed to be my _friend_ , Bobo! I trusted you!”

       The man nodded his head and stood up. Waverly stopped wriggling in Nicole’s grasp, and instead, scooted back into her, body going stiff. Nicole raised her gun as he took a step closer to them. Wynonna was also up, Peacemaker pointed at him. “I’m afraid I had to somehow. Using you was the best way I could think to do so. And I’m sorry, but I have no friends,” he grinned, reaching out and stroking a piece of hair that hung around her shoulders. “ _Babygirl._ ”

       Nicole pushed Waverly behind her, raising the gun up to his head. “ _Don't you ever fucking touch her_ ,” she growled through a clenched jaw.

       Bobo chuckled, stepping back and raising his hands in the air. “Oh, did I hit a nerve there, Cowgirl? I’m not Champ, don’t worry.”

       Nicole was about to charge at him, but when she saw Wynonna press Peacemaker to the back of his head, she stood down. “Out.” That was all she said. Bobo turned to face her and she pressed the gun against his forehead, burning his skin with a sizzle. “Now.”

       He complied and headed towards the door. “It was nice to see all of you again, especially you Willa.” He threw a wink in her direction. “I hope you all will be attending the Poker Spectacular. All the high-end gamblers from around the area will be attending.” He ran his thumb against his fingers, symbolizing that they will have lots of money. Wynonna pushed him out the door, slamming it behind them.

       Nicole set her gun down on the table and turned around to Waverly, placing her hands on her upper arms. She went to say something but was cut off when Waverly wrapped her arms around her middle in a tight hug. Nicole let out a breath and pulled her closer with her arms around her shoulders, resting her chin on her head. “You ok?” Nicole whispered after a few seconds. She responded by nodding her head against her neck. The redhead pulled out of the hug and tilted Waverly’s head up with her finger. “Are you sure?”

       “Yea, I’m good,” she assured with a small smile. Nicole nodded, kissing her forehead.

       All heads turned to Gus when they heard the oven ding. “Dinner’s ready,” she smiled. “Waverly, Willa, go wash up. Nicole, go fetch that sister of theirs.” They all nodded and went off to complete their orders.

       The Deputy grabbed her gun off the table and headed outside in a search for Wynonna. She spotted her walking back up the driveway with Doc by her side. Searching her eyes along the fields in front of her, she saw no sign of Bobo so she figured Wynonna must have sent him on his way. She tucked the gun in the waistband of her jeans and walked towards them. Doc tipped his hat at her when she reached them and she gave him a nod. “He didn’t cause you too much trouble, did he?” Nicole asked Wynonna.

       “Nah, we won’t be seeing him around here anytime soon,” she answered with a smirk, but it faded into a more serious look. “What’s that tailman or whatever he was talking about?”

       “A _talisman_ is basically some iron wires wrapped around vertebrae. Some type of hoodoo-voodoo shit that prevents demonic evils from entering a perimeter. And from what I could gather, Bobo made Waves bury it somewhere so they could . . . enter.”

       Wynonna cocked an eyebrow at her. “Do I want to know why you know that or . . .” She trailed off.

       “Let’s just say Dolls has been making me research some stuff,” she answered with a shudder. “I came to tell ya’ll dinner’s ready, by the way.” Wynonna’s face lit up with that. Nicole shoved her hand in her pocket and they all headed back inside.

       A stronger smell of lasagna filled the Homestead when the trio walked in. The table was now decorated with plates and the food was sitting out, lasagna being cut by the Earp's aunt. “Looks amazing, Gus,” Nicole commented, washing her hands at the kitchen sink.

       “Thank you, Dear,” she smiled. They all sat down around the table, Doc and Gus at the heads, Waverly and Nicole on the left, and Willa and Wynonna on the right.

       “Who wants beer?” Waverly asked. She heard “me” from everyone. “Oook, then.” She stood and walked over to the fridge.

       “You _are_ a bartender, Babygirl,” her sister chuckled, wiping Peacemaker down with her napkin. Waverly threw her a look.

       “Hey now, no weapons at the table,” Gus ordered. Wynonna got up with a sigh, followed by Doc and Nicole. They put their guns in the living room and went back to the table.

       Waverly came back, placing their beers down. “The only guns allowed are these ones,” she chuckled, squeezing Nicole’s biceps.

       She sat down and Nicole turned slightly to her. “What, these guns?” She asked with a smirk, flexing her arms, muscles bulging under her t-shirt. Everyone at the table began to laugh, except Willa. They all noticed but decided not to say anything.

       “Ok, I’m hungry. Let’s eat, people!” Wynonna shouted, shoving a piece of garlic bread into her mouth. Majority of the table let out a sigh, shaking their heads at her as they piled food on their plates. As they ate, they made chit chat about random things, told stories, and further discussed their plans for Bobo’s party. When they finished, they all chipped in to help clean up, forcing Gus to go sit down and relax. Waverly washed the dishes, Nicole rinsed, and Wynonna dried and put them away. Willa wiped the table and counters down and Doc swept the floor. Together, they got the job done in no time, all gathering outside afterward. Most of them were on their second or third drink, so the conversation was starting to get a little interesting.

       “Woaaah, did you see the Civil War?” Waverly asked.

       Doc chuckled. “Yes, I did. My father was actually a Confederate Officer in it.”

       “That’s the slave people right?” Wynonna asked.

       “Yep,” Nicole and Doc answered.

       “Did your family have slaves!?” Wynonna gasped.

       Doc adjusted the hat on his head. “Uhm . . .”

       “John Henry Holliday, how dare you!” Waverly exclaimed, stomping towards him, almost tipping backward when Nicole grabbed her arm. She quickly stood to catch her. “Woah, a lil' tipsy,” she mumbled.

       He cleared his throat. “Waverly, my _family_ owned a slave, not I. I was only 8 or 9 when the war broke out.” Waverly slumped back into her seat next to Nicole with a huff. “Annnd I think that is my ticket to leave.” He stood and stomped out his cigarette. “Thank you kindly for dinner tonight, Mrs. McCready, it was lovely.” He gave her a smile.

       “You're welcome to stop by anytime, Doc,” she replied.

       “Yea, go ahead and bring your slaves with you, too,” Waverly muttered deeply. Nicole smacked her on the arm, giving her a look.

       He gave her a sorry smile and tipped his hat. “Evenin’, ya’ll.” Everyone handed out their goodbyes and Doc left, leaving all the ladies by themselves.

       Wynonna finished off her beer, slamming the bottle down on the arm of her chair. “Alright, Babygirl, time to go find that man tail thingy you hid. I don’t want no dead guys walking around my front lawn anymore.”

       Waverly looked at her girlfriend worriedly before standing up. “Umm, ok, g-go get something to dig with,” she stuttered. Wynonna nodded and headed off towards the barn.

       “It’s getting late, kids, I think I am going to turn in for the night,” Gus said with a wave as she headed inside.

       “And I need to find a dress for the party,” Willa sighed, following Gus inside. 

       “I-is it my fault?” The brunette asked the redhead, grabbing her hands as she stood up. 

       “Is what your fault?” She asked softly, pushing up out of her chair.

       “The attack. They wouldn’t have been able to come in if I wouldn’t have buried that thing, right?” Tears started forming in her eyes.

       “Oh, Baby, no. Don’t think like that. It’s not your fault, no.” She pulled the smaller girl into a hug, rocking her back and forth.

       “They wouldn’t have been able to-”

       “Shhhhh.”

       They stood like that until they heard Wynonna’s voice come from the barn. “Alright, love bugs, let’s go!” Nicole grabbed the smaller girl's hand again and they walked towards the older Earp. “Where’s this thing even at?”

       “Pet cemetery,” she muttered.

       Wynonna’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say what was on her mind. “Alright, let’s go,” she sighed, throwing the little shovel over her shoulder. They walked down the driveway and out the arch. They came upon an area with a couple of makeshift headstones and Waverly dropped to her knees in the middle of it. She held her hand out and Wynonna handed her the shovel. She began digging and pulled the talisman out, handing it over to her sister with her head down. She examined it, turning it over in her hands. “So, you are telling me this thing is magical?”

       “Apparently,” the redhead answered, looking it over when Wynonna handed it to her. “So, Bobo was your . . . friend when you were a kid?”

       “I thought he was my _imaginary friend_. Turns out he was just a demon hunting my family,” Waverly grumbled, standing and dusting her pants off. “Now what do we do with it?”

       “Chuck it away, I think,” Nicole answered. 

       "You do it," she mumbled. The redhead nodded, taking it in her right hand, launching it far into the distance. The smaller girl widened her eyes at her and Nicole threw her a wink, taking her hand. 

       They walked back into the kitchen and Nicole grabbed another beer out of the fridge. Waverly wrapped her arms around her, pressing her front into her back. “Can you stay here tonight?” She asked sweetly.

       Nicole turned around to see a puppy face from her girlfriend. “What about . . . my house?” She asked with a smile, wrapping her own arms around her.

       Waverly’s face lit up and she pulled her into a kiss. “Mhm." She pulled back. “Ima go pack.” Nicole pecked the tip of her nose and the brunette scurried up the stairs.

       The Officer took this opportunity to talk to Wynonna about it. “Hey, Earp,” She greeted, wrapping her arm around her neck and giving her a hard noogie.

       Wynonna turned around and yanked her over the back of the couch. Nicole sat up and gave her a playful shove. “What can I do for you, Officer?” She asked through a laugh.

       “I was, uh, wondering if Waves could stay at my place tonight . . .” She looked up at the darker brunette nervously, handing her the beer she had previously grabbed.

       “I don’t care. She just better not come home limping,” Wynonna smirked, throwing her a wink.

       Nicole covered her face, knowing she was blushing. “Oh _God_ , Wynonna, we seriously haven’t even done it yet.”

       Wynonna’s eyes widened, now having heard it from both of them. “Really? I thought she was lying about that.”

       She dropped her hands from her face, shooting her a look. “Well, I mean, we have done _things_ , but we haven’t _done_ _it_ ,” she said with a smirk of her own, purposely giving her too much information.

       Wynonna scrunched her face together. “WAVERLY, HURRY UP! OFFICER BANG BANG IS GIVING ME VIVID INFO ABOUT YOUR SEX LIFE AND I AM EXTREMELY FRIGHTENED!” The older Earp screamed, knowing the whole house could hear her. 

       “Wynonna!!” She smacked her on the arm with a snort.

       They heard Waverly pedaling down the steps with a bag over her shoulders. “WHAT?!?!?” She shrieked, staring at Nicole. The duo fell against each other, laughing harder.

       After a minute, they wiped their eyes and Nicole stood up off the couch. “Got you to move a little quicker, didn’t it?”

       She let out a breath. “Oh my God, I thought she was serious,” she mumbled.

       Wynonna walked over to them. “I _was_ serious, Babygirl,” she said, throwing her arm over Nicole’s shoulder. Waverly’s jaw dropped at Nicole. She shook her head, assuring her.

       They heard Gus approach from the back bedroom. “What the hell?!” She demanded, looking at Wynonna with her hands on her hips.

       “I was just messing with them!”

       “Well, it’s 8:30 and this old woman is trying to _sleep_!”

       “It’s 8:30?!” Nicole asked, digging her phone out of her pocket to check the time, and sure enough, it was. A little past, even. “We gotta go, Waves!” She grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the door.

       “Okaaay? Bye Gus, bye Wy. Love you!”

       “Love you, too!” They called back.

       Nicole rushed them to the car, still being a gentlewoman and opening Waverly for her, though. She hopped in the car and started it up. “You wanna do something fun?” She asked, pulling out of the driveway.

       “Always,” the brunette answered with a smile.

       “Good, cause it was gonna happen either way!” With that, Nicole flicked her lights and sirens on, speeding off in the direction of her house.

       Waverly let out an excited giggle. “Isn’t this illegal?” She asked with an open smile, watching the yellow lines turn into a blur. Nicole laughed, swerving around a line of cars. 

       “Yea, pretty much.”

       They pulled up to her house and she shut her car off, checking the radio for the time. “8:46, ok, we’re good,” she breathed, sounding relieved.

       “What’s your rush?” Waverly asked, stepping out of the car and grabbing her bag. 

       “My babies are on at 9!” The brunette went to question into it more but figured she would find out eventually. She followed Nicole up to the door and she unlocked it, letting Waverly in first.

       “Do you mind if I shower real fast?” She asked, leaning on the island in the kitchen.

       “Go ahead, Baby,” Nicole responded cheerfully, reaching up for something in the cabinet. “Make yourself at home. Towels are in the cabinet by the toilet”

       “Mk, be right back.” She skipped off to the bathroom.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, PAYANO, MY GREAT GRANDMA CAN PITCH BETTER THAN YOU!” Waverly slowly walked back into the living room, pulling her wet hair up into a messy bun. Nicole was standing up, screaming at the TV.

       “Are we ok in here?” She asked cautiously, rounding the couch. Nicole looked at her and slumped back down, tossing her cap onto the table and taking a drag of her beer. Waverly scooted up next to her.

       “No,” she mumbled, wrapping her arm around her shoulder.

       “Whatcha watchin?” The commercials were now on. 

       “The Rangers getting their asses handed to them by one of the worst teams in the league,” she sighed, throwing her head back.

       “Ooo, Rangers, that's . . . baseball, right?” She asked giddily.

       “Yes, Wave, that’s baseball,” she answered with a laugh.

       “Where are they from?”

       “Good old Dallas, Texas.”

       “And what’s so good about them that makes you love them so much?” 

       The redhead turned to her. “I gotta have a sweet spot for my hometown, Baby.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god, I've jumped on the "Nicole is from Texas" trope! I am so sorry, I just love it too much. 
> 
> Ahh, I am so creative. 
> 
> And you seriously don't know how hard it was to write someone who likes the Rangers because it was so damn tempting to make her like the Cardinals (the best team) ;)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this one. We will find out next time what Waverly thinks of this new information.


	21. Nicole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole tells Waverly her life story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, its been a while. Sorry about that. My internet has been down for offically a week now, so I haven't been able to post anything. 
> 
> I have 3 full chapters written, though, if that makes it any better. 
> 
> I felt too bad for leaving you guys on that clifhanger, so I am using my hotspot sparingly to post this chapter. 
> 
> Strap in, its a bumpy ride. 
> 
> Literally 97% Nicole backstory, so that's pretty neat.  
> And that means its like 75% dialogue, so if big paragraphs annoy you, sorry.
> 
> A bit of homophobia in this chapter so be warry.

       Waverly pulled back from Nicole, turning to face her with an extremely confused look on her face. “ _What_?!”

       The redhead cocked an eyebrow. “What?”

       Waverly sputtered a few incoherent sounds before starting, “You’re _American_?!”

       Nicole looked at her for a few seconds, almost as confused as she was. “Yes?” She replied, voice faltering a bit.

       “ _Anddd_ you are just now telling me this?!”

       “Yes?” She said simply, not really knowing how else to answer the question. The brunette bobbed her head, swinging her arms out in front of her, waiting for a better explanation. “Mk, this game isn’t good enough to watch anyway.” She flipped the TV off and stood up. Waverly thought she was leaving for a second, but she just turned the light in the living room on. She came back and sat down sideways on the couch, facing her. “Baby, I thought my somewhat of a southern drawl was good enough to tell you that I am definitely not from here,” she said, jokingly very country.

       Waverly thought about that for a second, and it started to piece together a bit. “Well . . . I didn’t think about that, I just thought you were weird.”

       Nicole gave her a look. “Who else do you know with an accent?!”

       “Doc . . .”

       “Doc is from, like, _Georgia_.”

       “Same thing.”

       Her jaw dropped. “No! Not same thing, oh my God,” she said, ending with a smile. She noticed that a thought was filling the younger girl's head, for she was looking past her. “What?”

       “Is that why everyone calls you Cowgirl?”

       “Yes, Waves, that is why everyone calls me Cowgirl,” she answered with a touch of annoyance at the fact. She finished off the last of her beer and went to the fridge to get another.

       “Nicole, you have to work tomorrow,” Waverly called when she heard her open it and toss the metal cap in the trash.

       “And?”

       “ _And_ your gonna feel like shit if you keep drinking.”

       “Well, I kinda got moved to the night shift for taking off today. Plus, this is only my sixth.”

       “Sixth?!”

       Nicole sat back down. “Chill out, I’m southern. I can hold my beer,” she said with a wink.

       Waverly let out a groan and pulled the blanket out from under Nicole’s butt. “I feel that I might be here for a while, so I’m going to get comfy.”

       The redhead nodded in confirmation that she will, in fact, be here for a while. “Where should I start?” She asked, throwing her feet up on the coffee table.

       She pulled the blanket around her shoulders and laid back, resting her head on her lap. “Where ever you want."

       Nicole nodded and took a long drag of her Bud Light. “So . . . I was born in Arlington, Texas, which is right in between Fort Worth and Dallas. I spent the first few years of my life there. I’m an only child and I lived with both of my _lovely_ parents.”

       Waverly noticed her demeanor change with that last sentence. “You don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to, Nic.”

       She looked down at her with a small smile. “I know. Mise well if I’m gonna tell you my life story, though, right?” Waverly nodded, pulling the blanket up over her nose, getting a strong scent of Nicole. She let out a happy sigh as the redhead continued.

       “When I was 5 or 6, my father got boosted to First Sergeant in the Army. And it was a good thing at first, but then the job started taking a toll on him. He started drinking more and staying out later. He’d come home sloppy drunk, usually passing out on the couch. And my mom didn’t like that. She really didn’t like that. So, bless her heart, she always made him get in bed so I didn’t wake up for school and see my father passed out in the living room. It started out as maybe once a week. But, as time passed, it was two times a week, 3 times a week, and so on and so on.” She took in a breath, letting it out slowly. “My mom started getting mad at him, screaming at him when he got home at 2 in the morning that “he wasn’t the man she married anymore”, shit like that. Well, being the true Army man he was, he didn’t like taking orders from people. He’d yell back, things that _no_ child should hear coming from their father. And me, the little hardass I _thought_ I was, sometimes would go join in on it, trying to protect my mom from him. For a little while, he would listen to me, I don't know why, but he did. I stopped coming out, though, when he-” She paused, swallowing her beer hard. “When he started hitting her.” Waverly knew it was coming. It always came like that. But it still shocked her when she said it. She reached up and grabbed her hand that was holding the beer bottle. Nicole pushed it in between her thighs and dropped her hand to Waverly, looking down at her with soft eyes. The brunette intertwined their fingers, feeling her hand cold from the bottle. She nodded her head and Nicole continued, looking at the wall as she spoke.

       “My mom and I had always flown to see Mrs. Chetri at least once a month since I can remember. Our mom’s had been best friends since they were kids, but she had moved with her husband up to Canada. Our trips started becoming longer and more frequent after all that started. Me and Jer started getting closer and my mom and his’s friendship grew stronger once she learned what was going on. She tried and tried to make her get a divorce, but she refused. My father would always somehow make it up to her, so she thought it was ok. He’d apologize and apologize, say that he never meant it. She believed it. But . . . One night, it sounded like it was getting really bad. I heard dishes breaking and lots and lots of screaming and banging. I came out of my room to see what was going on. He seemed to be more drunk than usual, which I don’t see how it was possible, but I guess it was. He had her trapped in the kitchen. I was being quiet, standing at the end of the hallway against the doorframe, but of course, dumbass me decided I wanted to move in closer. I kicked the doorframe on accident when I moved and he heard me. He turned around with this evil look in his eye that I had never seen before. And I froze when he started walking over to me. He-” She paused, tilting her head back a bit, blinking her eyes rapidly.

       “Nic, you really don’t have to,” the smaller girl said quietly.

       The redhead looked down at her. “No, I-I want to. It’s important that you know this part of my life.”

       Waverly let out a sigh, clenching her jaw. “Ok." She sat up and faced her, pulling her knees up in front of her. Nicole let out a breath and pushed her hand through her hair, pulling it out of a ponytail. Fiddling with the band, she began again.

       “He came over to me, screaming that I never knew how to mind my own business and that this time I would pay for it. I was terrified. I didn’t know what that meant, I was 8 years old. I learned, though, I learned real fast. He . . . He grabbed my neck and lifted me off the floor like in those action movies, squeezing so hard I thought my head was gonna pop off. My mom was clawing at his back, trying to get him to put me down, but he was just screaming and screaming. He shoved me against the wall and the last thing I remember is his fist swinging towards my face.” A tear made its way down Waverly’s face and she felt Nicole gripping her hand harder. “The first thing I remember after was waking up in the car. My mom was sobbing as she drove and we pulled up at the airport. We gathered our things and headed on the plane. It was summer, so we were able to stay with the Chetri’s until school started up again in August. My mom pinched some pennies and bought a house along the outskirts of Dallas and moved us there. She ended up getting a divorce _and_ a restraining order on my father.” Waverly smiled up at her, rubbing her hand on her thigh.

       “Things were going good from then on. I was doing great in school, straight A’s. I always tried to keep myself busy to keep my thoughts clear. So I used athletics to help me with that. By the end of 8th grade, I was the starting catcher for school softball and for a private girl’s baseball team. And I was captain of the basketball team and starting goalie on the soccer team.”

       “I’m surprised that you liked balls so much,” Waverly mused. Nicole shot beer out her nose, now coughing up a fit. Tears rolled down her face as she tried to stop laughing and coughing. Waverly pat her back, laughing along with her. They both calmed down after a few seconds and Nicole went to get a towel from the kitchen with an airy sigh.

       “Speaking of that . . . it was around 6th grade when I started realizing that I was maybe just a _little_ gay, which I thought was the end of the world. My mom was a devout Christian, like almost every other Texan _ever_ , so we went to church _every_ _single_ Sunday, and it was drilled into my head that being gay was one of the worst sins.” She sat back down on the couch, wiping her legs off from the beer she had just spewed all over them. “I remember one specific day. We were at this diner for lunch after church and I casually asked her something along the lines of why it was a bad thing. She flipped out and we left quickly. In the car, she gave me a whole lecture that being a _homosexual predator_ sends you to hell for eternity. I was like ok, great, I have a very bright future ahead of me. I was so scared. My mom was my best friend and didn’t wanna lose her . . . I had heard over the years that one of my mom’s sisters was gay and that no one really talked to her. So, sneaky little me got in contact with her and asked if I could spend some time with her over the summer before 8th grade. She obviously said yes, I think it was a relief to her that someone was actually talking to her. I told my mom and she was kinda pissed, but I assured her that I only wanted to go because she was going to take me to the ocean, and she knew that was my dream, so she gave in. We decided to go on a cross-country trip together. She was pretty frickin rich, not to be blunt, so I knew we would be going to some cool places. I was so freaking excited cause 1. I would get to travel more. The only traveling I did was from Texas to Canada over and over. 2. I’d get to see the ocean on both sides of the US. And 3. I’d finally have someone to talk to about all the weird, confusing feelings I was having. It was funny, though. Each time I would bring it up to my mom, she would finish it with “you better not come home gay.” Unfortunately for her, I was already pretty fucking gay.” They both laughed at that.

       “I wish I could have seen you as a baby gay,” Waverly sighed, leaning her head against her shoulder.

       “No, you don’t . . . I was a really weird kid,” Nicole admitted.

       “I guess not much has changed then, yea?”

       Nicole smacked her on the arm. “Hey now, you better watch it,” she faux-scolded with a smirk. Waverly giggled.

       “So, a few days after school got out, Aunt Liz pulled up to my house in her lime green convertible. I had only seen her in pictures and talked to her on the phone, so when she stepped out of the car with a half-shaved head, it kinda threw me for a loop. I’d never really seen any girl look like that before, and the ones I had were usually “crazy”. I was a bit nervous at first, but after about an hour of talking to her with my mom, I knew we would have a great time together . . . The first stop on our trip was, drum roll please . . . A Rangers game because _of_ _course_ she did. Now, when we pulled up to Globe Life Park, I was already flipping my shit cause I had only been to 3 other Rangers games before. But then she tells me that I GET TO GO AND MEET SOME OF THE FRICKING PLAYERS AND THAT WE HAVE HOME PLATE SEATS!! I literally almost died then and there. We made our way in and went to the gift shop. I got an Einar Díaz, their catcher, jersey and this bad boy right here.” She picked her cap up off the table and handed it to Waverly. It was obviously worn, but for being from 2003, it looked like she had taken pretty good care of it. There were signatures all over it, so she assumed Nicole would be getting to that part of the story soon. She put the hat gently on Nicole’s head.

       “We went to our seats, _which were amazing_ , and then we got the message that we could go out onto the field. I was really nervous. These guys were my heroes and I was getting the chance to meet them. It wasn’t until then that I realized that they were playing the Yankees. And that meant that Jorge _fucking_ Posada was gonna be there. Like, ok, yea, the Rangers are my babies and all, but _POSADA_!? He was and still is my favorite catcher of all time. And I was gonna meet him. Now he’s a, _pshh_ , 5x All-Star and Silver Slugger, I think? Magical man right there. Anyway, we- What?” She asked Waverly, who was resting her head on her hands with a huge smile on her face.

       She lifted her head and picked up Nicole’s hand, kissing her knuckles. “Nothing . . . It’s just cute watching you talk about stuff you're passionate about.”

       Nicole smiled, dipping her head to hide a blush. “Oh.”

       “Continue."

       “Alright so . . . We walked onto the field and we got to chat with all of the Rangers players. They were all so nice and loved my interest for the game. But then I saw Posada walking out of the Yankees’ dugout. So, I sprinted from home plate to him and screamed, “Holy crap! You’re Jorge Posada!” He nodded his head and said, “I think so.” Aunt Liz came over and introduced us cause I was basically hyperventilating. She explained to him that I was a catcher and he looked down at me and said, “Let’s see it.” I was kinda confused and he explained to me that he was gonna test my pop time.” Waverly cocked an eyebrow. She remembered Waverly had no prior knowledge about baseball. “That’s how long it takes from it to get from the catcher's mitt to the second baseman’s glove.” She nodded an understanding. “So, he called the Yankees Pitcher out, gave me his catcher’s mask and mitt, and trotted out to 2nd. He told me he was going to time it from out there. I made my way to home plate and the pitcher made his way to the mound. He asked me if I was ready and I said I was, when _honestly_ , I had never been so _not-ready_ in my life. I had never popped such a long distance before cause the field I was used to was a kid’s field basically. And this was the MLB. I let out a breath. He wound up and pitched it to me, probably a 60 MPH fastball. I snatched it up and cannoned it to Posada. I was proud of myself cause I had got it exactly where I wanted it to end up. My aunt ran over to me and gave me a hug, but I noticed that Posada was talking to the pitcher, showing him the stopwatch. So, I slowly made my way over to him. My cocky ass asked, “How’d I do?” They both looked up at me with their jaws dropped and I was kinda scared for a second. Posada said, “Do you know what you just did?” And then I got really scared. He got down on his knee and grabbed my shoulder, and I was standing there like “uhhh”. He showed me the stopwatch and it said 2.03. My eyes widened and my own jaw dropped. Aunt Liz peeked over and she started freaking out with the pitcher. Posada looked me dead in the eyes and said, “You just threw that ball faster than some MLB catchers can."”

       Waverly’s eyed popped open. “ _Really_?!”

       Nicole smiled a huge smile. “That was my reaction, too. I knew I was a good catcher, but I didn’t know I was that good. And at _13_!”

       “Jeez, Nicole! Can you sti-” Waverly stopped that thought dead in its tracks when she looked down at her hand, remembering the damage that had been done to it. She looked back up at Nicole, whose eyes were on her cast.

       “I guess we are gonna have to wait and see,” she mumbled.

       Waverly could tell by her face that that was something she hadn’t given a thought to yet. “Baby.” She tilted her head up with her finger and gave her a small smile. “Your gonna be fine, I know it. It’s gonna be just as new in no time.”

       Nicole swallowed. “But, what if-”

       She pressed her finger against her lips. “No what if’s.”

       Nicole sighed and pulled her knee to her chest. She continued on with the story, pointing out that she was too pumped to care that the Rangers lost the game. She ended up getting that hat signed by most of the Rangers and Posada. Her and Waverly sat for an hour or so more as she told the story of the whole road trip. Sober Nicole wouldn’t have taken as long, but she had a pretty good buzz going, so her gums were flapping. She told how she went to the ocean for the first time in Cocoa Beach, Florida and then went to Disney World. How she went to the Statue of Liberty and then saw Niagara Falls. When she went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. How she went to the top of the Arch in St. Louis and saw the whole city. When they drove up to see Mount Rushmore. The story took a turn, though, when she reached the part about Yellowstone National Park.

       “We were far beyond halfway through our trip when we got to Yellowstone. And it was _beautiful_. So much wildlife and plants. I’m gonna have to take you there sometime,” she said with a smile.

       Waverly curled up tighter in her lap. “I’d like that.”

       “You really would love it, Waves. Anyway. I still hadn’t mentioned the  _being a big fat homo_  part to her yet, which was eating away at my brain cause it was kinda the whole point of wanting to go on this trip in the first place. So, when we got to the Grand Prismatic Spring, aka the giant _literally rainbow_ hot spring, I decided it was time. We were just sitting there, eating our lunch, and I spilled the beans. I said something dumb like, “I think this would be the most ironic time to tell you that I’m pretty gay.” Or something. And she looked up at me, sandwich halfway to her mouth. I was _terrified_. I knew she wouldn’t hate me for it because she was also gay, but I had no clue what her reaction would be. She just kinda looked at me with a smile for a second and then dropped her head and said, “I was wondering how long it would take for you to actually say it.” I was confused and had no clue that she had already figured it out far before that day. She explained that it was pretty obvious with my obsession with flannels and hats and that I couldn’t keep my eyes away when she _ever so sneakily_ took us to Hooters.”

       Waverly snorted and sat up to face her. “Ahhh, you really are oblivious sometimes, ya know?”

       Nicole shot her a look. “How was I supposed to know about gaydar?! And that it was _painfully_ obvious that I was squeamish when she asked me if I had a boyfriend?”

       “Poor Baby,” she teased, dropping her lips into a pout.

       The Deputy rolled her eyes and continued on. “So then we talked about it more. And she explained to me that the whole  _Jesus is my Daddy_ thing wasn’t that great of a lifestyle to follow, and I was shocked that you could just _not_ believe in anything. She told me that being gay didn’t make me _weird or different or a sinner_ or any of those horrible things my mom had told me. And that was the day I decided that, 1. Being gay was who I was and that it was completely ok. 2. I didn’t need a religion to dictate how I lived. And 3. I didn’t need to listen to the people who tried to tell me that who I was was invalid or wrong. The rest of the trip was fantastic, being able to be completely open with her and all. We got to celebrate her 30th birthday in Las Vegas, which was hilarious. She even let me drink a little. And by a little, I mean a water bottle cap full of vodka. We continued on to Hollywood and then to the beach. We wrapped it up down in the Fort Worth Stockyards. It took us like 2 months to get through it all and we went through 29 states. But it was the best time of my life.”

       Waverly pulled her in for a kiss, tasting beer and tears on her lips. “It sounds like it was amazing, Nic,” she said cheerfully.

       “I wouldn’t have traded it for the world."

       “So . . . Did you end up telling your mom when you got home?” The younger girl asked cautiously.

       “Nope. Aunt Liz told me I should probably wait until I was sure I would have a place to stay. We both knew she wouldn’t be ok with it and I would most likely get kicked out. So, I didn’t tell her. And I, uh, never had to actually. During my freshman year of high school, she came home early from work and caught me making out with a girl from the basketball team on the couch. The girl bolted and I was stuck there, nowhere near ready for the wrath I expected from her. But, she just kinda stood there for a good five minutes and then walked off to her room. She never brought it up, and I never talked about it. That’s just kinda how we rolled, I guess. We lived in the same house but never talked. She would make dinner, give me a plate, and I’d wash the dishes. We worked out some sort of silent agreement with that. And she’d drive me to baseball, basketball, and soccer practice. Yes, I said baseball. Freshman year I was the only girl on the baseball team and I was playing Varsity and JV.” She threw Waverly a wink. “That’s about all we did to interact with each other. And it worked for us. I was still doing fine in school, and she seemed happy. But . . .” She paused, quickly sucking in a breath of air. “ Everything changed on August 18th, 2005.” Her voice broke at the end.

       Waverly noticed the look on her face was almost a mirrored image of the glimpse she caught of her right before she punched the car. Her thoughts were brought back to the day at the hospital when Shae had mentioned something about Nicole having PTSD from something she didn’t want her to know about. Her heart started to speed up at the thought that what that jerk had said to her triggered something that was somehow similar to what she was about to talk about. She saw the redhead’s eyes harden as she moved to get up, and Waverly wasn’t letting her do anything stupid again, so she climbed onto her lap and placed her hands on her upper arms, pushing her back slightly. “Nicole.”

       The Officer blinked her eyes a few times, shaking her head a bit. She met Waverly’s eyes, but looked down quickly, picking up her thigh as she pulled her phone out of the couch cushion, checking the time. “Ah shit,” she mumbled, standing up and unwrapping Waverly’s limbs from her body. Waverly quickly stood up, not wanting to let her leave the room unattended at this point. “I’ll be right back. I gotta go . . . mm, you’ll see.”

       “But, Nic-”

       “I know what your thinking. I’m ok, Wave. I’ll be right back, I promise.” Waverly let out a sigh, assuming it would be for the better if she trusted her on it. She sat back down and Nicole walked down the hallway towards her bedroom. She returned a few seconds later, dropping an orange furball onto her lap before heading into the kitchen. “Someone wanted to come and say hi.” Waverly smiled down at the cat, stroking her hand down her back. Nicole joined her again on the couch and handed her a bottle of water. She noticed she was holding another bottle of water and a pill bottle in her hand. So, she snatched the pills out of her hand, reading the label. “I was going to hand it to you, ya know,” Nicole sighed, giving her a smile.

       “You were moving too slow,” Waverly responded. Nicole rolled her eyes but started to fiddle with the wrapper of her water bottle. The bottle read:

Haught, Nicole

Prozac    Fluoxetine 40 mg capsules

Take once by mouth every day regularly.

       “I get weird at night if I don’t take them before 11,” she shrugged, taking the bottle back from Waverly. “And it’s almost 1.” Waverly nodded, twisting open her water bottle for her. Nicole downed a pill and set the bottles on the table. She picked up Calamity Jane and leaned back into Waverly, resting the back of her head on her chest. She put CJ on her stomach and pulled the blanket up over them. “They, uh . . . help with my-”

       “PTSD?” Waverly interrupted quietly, more a statement than a question.

       Nicole looked up at her with her eyebrow cocked. “How’d you know . . .”

       “I do use my brain sometimes, Nic, I kinda put two and two together . . .” She dropped her voice. “ _And_ I heard you and Shae talking about it the other day on accident.”

       Nicole looked back down to Calamity. “Oh . . . right.”

       Waverly ran her fingers through Nicole’s hair. “Look. I don’t want you to talk about something that _physically_ hurts you, and I know that this does. I don’t want you to feel that you nee-”

       The Officer flipped herself over and faced her girlfriend. “Waves,” she said, grabbing her hands. “I know you’re worried about me, that was clear 4 of those whole sha-bangs ago. If I was you, I’d be worried about me, too. But . . . I am gonna tell you anyway cause . . . I-I love you, Waverly Earp. You truly are the best thing that has ever happened to me. If I may be so bold, I’d love to spend the rest of my life with you. I’d really hate for all of this to get in the way of that, plus it probably would come up sometime anyway, so, _please_ , let me tell you it now . . . because this story is what shaped me into the woman I am today.” She held her breath, tracing over Waverly’s face, trying to read a reaction. Alcohol made her talk _a lot_ more honestly than she sometimes wanted to.

       Relief rushed over her when Waverly’s lips twisted up into a smile as she pressed her forehead into her’s and moved her hands to her cheeks. “I’m glad we are both in agreement,” she whispered, pushing her lips against her girlfriend’s. Nicole smiled into the kiss, pulling Waverly’s legs down and slipping in between them. She pushed herself into the smaller girl as it got more heated, but ended up kicking Calamity, who had ventured to the end of the couch. She let out a yelp and Waverly peered over Nicole’s shoulder, watching the cat paw at the redhead's foot. 

       “Oww, _you little bitch_ ,” she scolded through her teeth as she pushed herself up and pulled her legs away from the angry feline. Waverly giggled and Nicole picked up the cat, plopping her onto the floor. “Damn cat,” she mumbled, running her finger along the little bloody scratch marks.

       “Oh, you poor thing,” Waverly comforted sarcastically. Nicole rolled her eyes, wiping her finger on her arm. “Hey!” She licked her finger and cleaned off the red smear.

       Nicole stood up with a chuckle, picking up her empty beer bottle and trash from earlier. “You mind if we move to my room?” She asked. “It’s kinda cold out here.”

       Waverly traced her eyes up Nicole’s body and pursed her lips. “Ya know, putting some pants on might help with that,” she joked, pulling the blue blanket over her shoulders and walking towards her.

       She spun around with a gasp. “I thought you liked my,” she struck a pose, placing her hands on her hips and sticking her chest out, “ _super cool Rangers boxers_.”

       Waverly held back a laugh as she wrapped her arms around her waist. “Oh yes, most definitely,” she nodded, smiling up at the redhead, who was also holding down a laugh. Waverly was the first to break, letting out a snort as she pushed her head into the taller girl’s chest. “I like drunk Nicole,” she said, playing off her frat boy comment from the other day.

       “Just wait until you see me dance, Darlin’,” the redhead responded, booping her nose as she headed towards her room.

       Waverly blushed, following close behind. “Now that will be a night to remember.”

       Nicole looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. “I’m not sure if that is something you’ll want to remember,” she admitted.

       “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to film it _just_ in case,” Waverly smirked. Nicole let out a groan as she flopped onto the bed. The brunette smiled and crawled up underneath the blankets, fitting herself into the curve of her side. “So . . . I’m gonna say it is safe to assume that you _still_ have a thing for the ocean?” Waverly let her eyes wander around the dimly lit room.

       Nicole ran her hand up and down her back. “How’d you guess?” She asked sarcastically.

       “Just a hunch?” She rolled to her stomach, now laying halfway on Nicole.

       “It’s just . . . mm, I don’t know, it’s . . . so . . . _free_. There is just so much of it. And when you are standing there at the edge of the beach, looking out across it, you can see it bend with the curve of the earth. It looks like it could go on forever. And then when you are in it . . . I dunno, it's like nothing like anything I’ve ever felt before. And scuba diving, you can see all the fish and stuff just swimming along, having the time of their lives. It’s . . . _beautiful_ , ya know?”

       “What I _do_ know is that we have a couple of pretty frickin cool vacations in our future,” she concluded.

       “Indeed we do, Ms. Earp.” Nicole let out an airy sigh. “Aunt Liz would’ve loved you.” Waverly could feel her own heart shatter when she heard the redhead use those past-tense words. She lifted her eyes up to meet Nicole’s. She gave her a half-hearted smile and Waverly’s eyebrows came together in question as she dropped her head back down to her shoulder. “You know how I said I was in Vegas when I met Shae?”

       “Yea.”

       “Well, I wasn’t there to party . . . Aunt Liz had moved there a year or two before that and took a job with the fire department, that was her dream, even though she was already a _very_ _successful_ business lady. But, uhm, there was a really bad apartment fire she got called to. She heard that there were still people inside. So she ran into the building over and over, getting people out . . . They said she was on the second floor when the building collapsed.” Nicole let out a shaky breath, tears rolling.

       “Oh Nic,” Waverly whispered, rubbing her thumb along her cheek. “I’m so sorry.”

       “I got the call the morning after. She had me listed as her next of kin, so I had to fly down there to . . . claim her body and make arrangements. It was a nice service. The whole fire squad was there. All her friends. She had always kept in contact with Jorge, letting him know how I was doing, so I got in touch with him. And he showed up, too, which was nice. But, uh . . . the most surprising guest was my _mom_. It was the first time I’d seen her in _years_. And knowing how she was, I was shocked she could give a care about her. We talked a little bit, but when she learned that, not only was I still a _sinner_ , but that I was joining the Police Academy in a month and pursuing a _man’s career_ , she didn’t want anything to do with me. Which was fine with me because I know I am better off without her in my life.” She wiped her face and looked down at Waverly.

       “Well, that’s good. I’m proud of you for that.”

       Nicole nodded. “Would you like to become the third person on Earth that knows about something?” She asked with a huge grin. “Other two being Jeremy and myself.”

       “Ooo, yea!”

       “So, I got back to the hotel room after the funeral, and I was packing my stuff because I had an early flight back to Calgary the next morning. I get a phone call and the guy was like, “Are you Ms. Nicole Haught?” I was like, “Yeaaa?” He told me that I needed to meet with him in the morning at his office to discuss Aunt Liz’s will. I told him that I had a flight in the morning and he goes, “Ms. Haught, I’m sure you will be happy to miss your flight with the information I have for you.” And I was _so_  confused. He gave me the address and hung up. So, _obviously_ , I didn’t get any sleep that night because I was confused about _what in the hell_ he was talking about. I showed up at his office the next morning and got called in to talk with him. He told me that his company was the holder of her will or something and that she had things that were listed to be mine in the case that she passed away. And I got excited cause I knew she had some pretty cool stuff. And then he began listing things. “It says here you will inherit her condo in Las Vegas, her convertible, Harley, Lamborghini, all the items in her condo, and whatever is left of her life savings which is . . .” He started typing away at his computer and my jaw was already on my lap. I remember it like it was yesterday. He looked me dead in the eyes and goes, “557,293 dollars and 26 cents.””

       Waverly’s jaw dropped open impossibly wider than it already was. “ _Half a million dollars_!?” She gasped as her eyes bulged out of their sockets.

       Nicole licked her lips with a nod. “Right?! And then I got it all transferred to Canadian currency, and it was like $740,000 or something like that!”

       “ _Holy shit_ , Nicole!”

       “I knew she was pretty rich, but I didn’t know she was _that_ rich. I ended up passing out in the dude's office, waking up to him smacking me on my face a few times. He made sure I was ok and then continued on explaining to me the details of how they were going to transfer the account to my name or whatever. I wasn’t really listening to what he was saying cause I was in shock. I left there and obviously the first place I went to was the condo. I’d been there once before, right after she had bought it, but she had changed a few things. First thing I noticed when I walked in was the tiny orange demon screaming her lungs out.” Calamity jumped up on the end of the bed. “ _Yes, I’m talking bout you_ ,” she cooed to the cat. Waverly smiled. “I wandered into the kitchen and found her food bowl that had “Calamity Jane” inscribed into it, so I fed her and made my way around the rest of the house. I went out to the garage and found the cars. Although I have a soft spot for the convertible cause it's what I went on the trip in, the Lambo is my favorite, I mean, it’s a _fucking_ _Lambo_!”

       “That’s fair,” Waverly agreed. She was still trying to put all of this together in her head.

       “I ended up buying a garage up here for all 3 vehicles that way I could take care of them. And I brought this one with me, too,” she smiled, gesturing to the cat in her arms. “Everything else is still at the condo, though.” She let out a sigh, looking past Waverly. “The rest of that day consisted of a lot of _poor_ decisions like, ya know, getting _married_ to a stranger and blowing _14K_.” Waverly laughed and Nicole shook her head at herself. “But . . . after Shae, I got my life together and realized that that money wasn’t to screw with. From then on, I’ve only used it to buy this place, pay off my student loans, and little things here and there that needed to be done. Other than that, I use my own money to do stuff. I don’t like relying on it. And the reason I don’t talk about it with people is cause I don’t want people to think I am bragging or flaunting it because that is definitely not what I am trying to do. And I don’t want you to think that either.”

       “No,” Waverly assured, taking her hand. “I think it’s amazing that you got all of that passed down to you and you _should_ be proud of all of it.”

       Nicole smiled with relief and kissed her forehead. Waverly looked up at her, wanting to ask something, but not wanting to be rude. “You can ask whatever it is, Waves. You are allowed to be curious about it all,” Nicole assured, making her blush.

       “H-how much do you have now?”

       Nicole smiled, most likely predicting that’s what her question would be. “I just dropped below 500K. Now, I know that sounds like a lot is gone, but when you think about it, 120K on the house and furniture, around 72 for my college, 20K on the garage, and then the 14 I dropped in Vegas that night. That’s . . . $226,000 . . . so only like . . . 20ish-thousand I’ve spent on other stuff in the past 3 years. One of those things was getting the convertible repainted because lime green was her thing, not so much mine, and it looks snazzier red anyway.”

       “That was some quick math, that 72 grand must have done its job."

       “Oh yes, my whole 4 years of law shit and 2 years of Academy,” Nicole sighed, rolling her eyes and laying back. Waverly joined her, pulling the blanket up over them. “Hey, Waves?”

       “Hmm?”

       “I want you to know that, uh, if you’re ever having trouble . . . financial wise that you can always come to me about it and I’ll help you out. Especially now that you aren’t working at the moment. I want you to have all the happiness in the world and I know that kind of stuff can be stressful. And I’m not saying you have to, I’m just saying-”

       “Babe.”

       “W-what?”

       “Thank you . . . I’ll keep it in mind,” she finished with a smile.

       The redhead was quiet for a few seconds. “I just know sometimes it's hard to ask for help,” she mumbled.

       Waverly felt her body go stiff underneath her. She traced her fingers slower along the skin she had already been running them along. “Nic?” She asked full of concern. She felt her muscles relax under her touch.

       “It's just . . . after that night . . . I tried to fix myself on my own, but it just made it worse. And that’s why I was so hard on you- I dunno, I’m sorry.” She covered her face with her hands.

       “Don’t you ever apologize for expressing your feelings, do you hear me?” Nicole dropped her hands and wrapped one around Waverly’s back, clasping her hand over the hand that was on her stomach and fitting her fingers in the gaps.

       “Mmph . . . I’m gonna tell you it now, so, just- I might need a second here and there, ok?” She gave her hand a little squeeze.

       “Whatever you need.”

       Nicole let out a breath. She was bringing back a lot of feelings and memories she had tried to push away for a long time.

       “It was about 9 o’clock. I had just hopped out of the shower and was heading into my room for the night. The day had been pretty good. It was the second day of my sophomore year and we had our first basketball game of the season the next day, so I was going to study the plays I had been learning for the Varsity team. I did that and then read for about an hour. I was pooped from practice, so at like 10:30, I went to bed. Everything was normal. But . . . but then I woke up to screaming. I knew it was just another nightmare, I got them every so often. But, this one was different. I realized that I was in my current room, not my old room. And that I hadn’t “lived” through it yet, or whatever, you get what I’m saying?”

       “Yea.”

       “Ok . . . My first thought was “Holy shit, someone broke into my house!” I jumped out of bed and grabbed my baseball bat. I almost ran down the steps, but then I heard- mm.” She gripped Waverly’s hand a little harder. “I heard that voice I’d been trying so hard to forget.” The way Nicole said that last sentence brought tears to her eyes. She could hear how painful it was for her. She pushed them away, though, not wanting to distract her from sharing this piece of her life. “I dropped to the floor and pushed my back against the door. I had _no clue_  what to do. I mean, the last time I saw that man he was choking me up against a wall! I just sat there with my hand over my mouth, trying to lessen the sounds of my breathing even though they were downstairs. I tried to listen at this point, trying to figure out why he was here. It was really hard to tell what he was saying cause it was so slurred. And she was just screaming no and stop mostly. But, he screamed one sentence clear as day. He-” Her voice was cut with a hard sob. She heard her breath stall, so she sat up. Nicole shot up right after that, now a coughing, sobbing mess.

       “Sit up straight,” Waverly instructed gently, placing her hand on her back. The redhead did so and Waverly began to rub her hand up and down. She jerked forward with every cough and Waverly tried to get her to calm her breathing down because that was what was causing it. “Shhhh, breathe, Nic, you’re ok.” After a few more seconds, Nicole got all her coughs out. Waverly reached over and grabbed her water bottle off of the nightstand, handing it to Nicole.

       “Thanks,” she mumbled, taking a sip. Waverly set it back down after she was done. The redhead laid back down and Waverly curled up next to her again, interlocking their fingers. She gave Nicole a minute to get her thoughts again. Her voice was shakier when she began. “H-he screamed, “How dare you let our daughter turn into a _faggot_?” And that hit me in a place I’d never been hit before. I had no clue how he found out either cause it’s not like I was out yet. The only person in my family that knew that _I knew of_ was my mom. I couldn’t just listen to him screaming at her about me anymore, so I opened the door open a crack and slid out. I got down on my stomach at the top of the stairs so I could see down it and I honestly think my heart stopped. He-he had a knife. And he was holding my mom against the counter with it in his hand. I started hyperventilating and ran down the hallway to grab the phone because I thought he was going to kill her. I called 911, and the lady told me to stay on the phone with her. She told me to go watch them again to make sure he wasn’t hurting her. So I laid back down at the top of the steps. I was being really quiet, barely talking above a whisper to her. But . . . but when he swung the knife at her, I screamed. And of course he heard me. My mom was screaming at me to stay up there and he was screaming at me to come down and I didn't know what to do. Then he said, “If you don’t come down here, I’ll kill her.” And I believed it because he had already swung it at her once. I hung up the phone and held my breath as I went slowly down the stairs. He yanked me down the last couple and shoved me into the wall, knocking the wind out of me. I would have dropped to the ground out of fear if he hadn’t been holding me up against it. He had the arm with the knife pressed across my shoulders and he was screaming at me. Saying shit you should never say to anyone, _let alone your own kid_.” Waverly’s heart was being torn apart by Nicole’s words. She couldn’t believe something so horrible had actually happened to her and that she was still a normally functioning person.

       “He was calling me a demon and saying I should be burned alive, all kinds of stuff like that, along with every horrible slur: dike, fag, freak, tranny.” Her face was scrunched up as she said it as if the words were sour in her mouth. “He hadn’t noticed that as he was screaming and beating me around that the knife was cutting into my arm deeper and deeper. My mom was trying to pull him off of me like she had the time before, but she was nowhere near as strong as he was, so it was no use. I could hear the faint sound of sirens approaching the house and I knew that he could hear them too because he kept turning his head, looking out the window behind us. I could tell he was getting nervous, and that made me terrified because I knew he would start making stupid decisions.” She could hear Nicole’s voice getting really shaky again.

       “One of the officers kicked the door in . . . and he . . . pulled me in front of him . . . holding the knife against my throat. They were trying to coax him down, telling him he needed to let me go. But, he just pushed it harder, telling them that if they stepped any closer he’d kill me. They had gotten my mom out of the house by this point so it was just me, him, and 4 officers, all with their guns drawn, pointing at him. 3 of them were taking their turns yelling at him, but . . . the other one was talking to me. He was telling me that I just needed to stay still, that I was gonna be ok.” Waverly heard Nicole swallow and she looked up, seeing she was crying again. She sat up, not wanting her to start coughing again. Nicole sat up and pushed her hand through her hair as she began again, Waverly probably being the only person that would be able to understand what she was saying, for she was sobbing pretty hard.

       “We were there for like 20 minutes and I don’t really know what happened. There was so much going on, and I was losing a lot of blood from my arm so I think was in shock. But, they all started yelling louder and he was getting extremely agitated . . . It all happened in slow motion. He threw me to the ground away from him and I watched . . . he . . . he charged at them . . . and they filled him with holes.” Nicole was sobbing too hard to speak now. Waverly scooted closer to her and Nicole buried her head into her shoulder. She pulled herself onto the brunette's lap and just cried. And Waverly did, too. She couldn’t imagine what that was like for her. Yea, she had watched her own father die right in front of her, but this story was different than that. She could hear how it had scarred Nicole.

       It took a little while, but the redhead calmed down. She pulled back from her girlfriend slowly and wiped her face with the bottom of her shirt. Waverly wiped her eyes with her fingers and dropped her hands to Nicole’s thighs, looking up into her bloodshot eyes. 

       She let out a sigh, glancing over to Waverly’s shoulder. “I snotted all over your shirt,” she sniffed.

       Waverly smiled, pulling a strand of hair that was stuck to her teary face away. “I don’t care,” she mumbled, cupping her hands on her cheeks and tilting her head up to meet her eyes. “You ok?” Nicole nodded, mustering up a small smile. “Ok,” she breathed, sounding relieved.

       “You wanna hear the rest?”

       “Only if you will be ok telling it.”

       Nicole pushed herself off her lap, grabbing Waverly’s water bottle from her and taking a drink. She handed it to her after she was done. “I’ll be good,” she assured. 

       “Mk, go ahead,” she said as she pulled CJ into her lap.

       Nicole resituated herself. “So . . . I remember screaming and pushing myself away from him. I covered my face and I heard someone run to me. I looked out and saw the softest eyes looking back at me. It was that one officer. He told me that I was ok and that they had to do it. He got me up and out of the house where an ambulance was waiting . . . I was a _mess_ for the next few days. Lots of doctors came to talk to me, but I didn’t talk to any of them. They told me I was _lucky_ , that he almost hit a big blood vessel in my arm. And that he had managed to not break any bones in my face” Nicole pulled her t-shirt sleeve up on her left arm, revealing a pretty long, decently wide scar. Waverly’s breath hitched in her throat. Seeing something that was left behind on Nicole from this really made it real in her head. She ran her finger over it, looking up at her with her eyebrows furrowed. 

       “Jeremy and the rest of the Chetri’s came to visit me. And Aunt Liz told me I was gonna be staying with her cause my mom “wasn’t stable enough to handle me anymore.” I was out of school for like a month so I could recover _mentally and physically_. But, even when I did go back, I wasn’t the same. After a few months, she got me into a therapist that said I had pretty severe PTSD and that’s when they got me on that Prozac stuff. From then on things got better. I was still doing good in sports and school. We won the championship in my senior year for baseball. And I set my record pop time that game of 1.64 seconds. I graduated 4th in line for valedictorian, which is pretty good for having a class of 600. I got at _least_ 5 full-ride offers for baseball in Texas, but I turned them all down. I didn’t want to stay in Texas. I applied for college up here in Calgary and was accepted. I moved in with Jeremy until I saved up enough to start renting an apartment . . . and the rest is history I guess.”

       “That’s . . . one hell of a life story, Nicole Haught.”

       “Sure is,” she sighed, fluffing her pillow. “You ready for bed or do you wanna watch a movie or something?”

       “Mmph, I’m tired,” Waverly admitted, setting CJ at the end of the bed.

       “Ok, good. I’m exhausted,” Nicole chuckled, laying down.

       “Then why’d you offer?” She asked, laying completely on Nicole, head resting right above her heart.

       “I dunno,” she yawned.

       Waverly rolled her eyes, looking up at her. “Goodnight, Weirdo,” she sighed with a smile. 

       The Deputy flipped the light off on the nightstand. “Night, Weirdo,” she mumbled back.

       Waverly pushed herself up, giving Nicole a chaste kiss and laid back down, listening to the steady thumping of her heartbeat. She heard her breath even out after a little while, so she finally relaxed, knowing Nicole was sleeping peacefully. She let out a sigh, smiling as she closed her eyes.

       “I love you, too, Nicole Haught.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is fitting right. Ahh, I'm hilarious. 
> 
> So, what do ya'll think?
> 
> Are you shook? Cause I am. Let me know below!
> 
> I didn't like the "secret money" aspect at first, but I think it works now. 
> 
> I'll get the next chapter up in the next day or two, maybe sooner if I get internet back.


	22. I'll Give You A Hint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Waverly have a little date day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye got internet back! 
> 
> Thank you guys so much for your feedback on the last chapter because wow you guys went all out with that.

       Waverly opened her eyes, taking in a sharp breath as she stretched her legs out. She paused for a second, remembering she had fallen asleep on her girlfriend who was now nowhere to be found. She sat up, pulling her fingers through her tangled hair. Looking over, she noticed a note on the other side of the bed:

 

**On a run.**

**Be back soon.**

**Made a pot of coffee for you.**

**Haha, that rhymed.**

**-N**

 

       She smiled at the fact that she had known Waverly would be wondering where she was. She opened her phone, it was just past 10. Standing with a grunt, she and the blue blanket made their way into the kitchen and she found a mug next to the coffee maker Nicole had set there for her to use. She poured herself a cup and walked over to the couch, flipping through the channels on the TV.

       Nicole returned about 15 minutes later, clad in her workout gear. Waverly turned to her, watching her gulp down some water and pull her earbuds out of her ears. “Hi,” she said, stifling a laugh as she watched her trying to suck in all of the air in the house.

       “Hi, yourself,” she wheezed. 

       The smaller girl picked CJ up off her lap, setting her on the floor, and walked to the opposite side of the island from Nicole. “I would come and greet you, _buttt_ . . .” She traced her eyes up and down her sweaty body.

       “Oo, yea, I would _not_ recommend that. I’m real gross right now.”

       Waverly laughed. She sat down as Nicole poured herself a mug. “How in the world did you manage to not wake me up this morning?”

       “I really don’t know,” she admitted, taking a sip and leaning forward on her elbows. “You were wrapped around me like a koala, so I just sat up, unhinged your death grip, and laid you back down. You are a very sound sleeper, ya know.”

       Waverly dipped her head, hiding a blush. “Sorry,” she mumbled, looking up bashfully.

       “No, it's ok. I liked it actually. You’re like a little heated blanket,” she laughed. Waverly shook her head, pursing her lips to hide a smile. They made decent conversation as they finished up their coffee.

       “So . . .” Waverly tapped her fingers on the outside of her empty mug. “What’s the plan for today?”

       Nicole gave her an evil smirk, taking their cups to the sink and rinsing them out. “I guess you are just going to have to wait and see,” she replied coolly.

       Waverly let out a whimper. “You know I hate surprises!” 

       She gave her a pouty face. “Here, I’ll give you a hint.” She lowered her voice to a whisper and raised her hand to the corner of her mouth. “You might get to ride in a pretty dope car.” Waverly smiled ear to ear and the Deputy let out a chuckle, rounding the other side of the counter. “Ok, you go get ready, Ima shower real fast.” Waverly gave her a mock salute and followed her into the bedroom, watching her gather some clothes for the day and head off to the bathroom. She set her phone down on the bed, humming along to the music it played as she pulled her clothes out of her bag and laid them out on in front of her. She found her perfume and looked at the bottle with a smile. Walking around to the other side of the bed, she sprayed one mist onto Nicole’s pillow. She was very proud of herself, knowing that would make Nicole go crazy later.

       She started to slowly sing the opening to Closer as she put on her dark blue _maybe a little too_ skinny jeans, meaning she had to lay down on the bed and force them up her legs and had to jump up and down for a little while to get them over her hips. She sang the chorus a little winded as she pulled a loose white t-shirt with black horizontal stripes over her head. Finishing the look with a dark tan cardigan, she propped her phone up, using the selfie camera as a mirror (totally forgetting Nicole had a big one on the back of her open closet door), and began to brush her hair. She was still singing along every now and then with her music as she continued on with her routine.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole hopped out of her much-needed shower and rubbed a towel through her wet red waves. The sound of water pouring over her head now gone, she could faintly hear Waverly singing from the other room. She dried her body off with a smile, trying to listen to lovely sounding bits and pieces that were making their way into the bathroom.

       She was now fit in a _tight_ grey baseball tee, black sleeves hugging her biceps, and grey camo jeans that weren’t skinny, but still showed the curves of her legs and hips quite nicely. She finished up fixing her hair, letting it fall over her shoulders. After doing her makeup, she brushed her teeth and very, _very_ quietly made her way out of the bathroom, not wanting Waverly to hear her and stop singing. A new song had started. Her voice was filling her ears loud and clear now, sending a chill down her spine with the slight raspiness she could now pick up on.

 

_You shout it out,_

_But I can’t hear a word you say_

_I’m talking loud,_

_Not saying much_

 

       Nicole made her way to the door. Being a Police Officer and all made sneaking down the small walk of the hallway pretty easy. She could see Waverly now, sitting on the floor with her phone camera on, doing her makeup. Nicole’s eyes widened and smile broadened, hearing more soul added as she continued along with the song, music she could now hear from her position, too.

 

_I’m criticized,_

_But all your bullets ricochet_

_You shoot me down,_

_But I get up_

 

       Waverly’s talking voice had always somehow managed to make Nicole’s heart flutter, _but her singing voice_? Her singing voice seemed to place a spell on her, enchanting her to do nothing more than listen. She knew she was too focused on whatever she was doing to notice if Nicole leaned in on the door frame, so she did so. It wasn’t until now that she realized that this was a slower version of the song, more feeling, less dubstep. And _feeling_ was what Waverly delivered.

 

_I’m bulletproof,_

_Nothing to lose_

_Fire away, fire away_

_Ricochet,_

_You take your aim_

_Fire away, fire away_

 

       Nicole’s heart skipped a few beats as she listened to her carry the notes, far better than Sia was if she was honest. She couldn’t for the life of her wipe the dopey grin from her face. She watched Waverly close her eyes as she began the next verse.

 

_You shoot me down,_

_But I won’t fall_

_I am titanium_

_You shoot me down,_

_But I won’t fall_

_I am titanium_

_I am titanium_

 

       Waverly unzoomed the camera she was now holding close to her face and rubbed her lips together, fluffing her hair. In the corner of the camera, she saw someone standing at the door behind her. With a shriek, she spun around, now realizing the figure was Nicole. The redhead let out a little laugh.

       “You scared me!” She gasped, trying to calm her racing heart.

       Nicole stepped in the room, walking towards her. “Sorry, was just . . . enjoying the show,” she said with a smile, locking her hands around her back and pulling her closer.

       She flushed red, looking down and pushing her head into her shoulder. “Was I really singing that loud?” She asked, raising her eyes to Nicole’s.

       “Well, in my opinion, it wasn’t loud enough, but to answer your question, yes, yes you were.” Waverly dropped her head again, letting out a groan. The redhead furrowed her brow, raising her head again with her finger. “I have no idea what you are ashamed about, you have the voice of an angel.”

       Her face blushed again. “You’re just saying that,” she mumbled.

       “Would I ever lie to you, Waverly Earp?” She asked in her drawl.

       Waverly put forth a small smile, stepping up on her toes to give her a kiss. She pulled back, bringing her mouth to her ear. "I’d worry about your future physical health if you were to,” she whispered threateningly, digging her nails into her hips. She dropped back to the flats of her feet, giving the redhead a toothy smile.

       “I guess I won’t have anything to worry about then, huh?”

       “Good girl,” she smirked, patting her chest.

       Nicole rolled her eyes playfully, stepping away from her to grab her phone and wallet from the nightstand. “Are you almost ready to go?”

       “I am ready,” she confirmed, slipping her shoes from the day before on. She walked down the hallway with Nicole following behind her. The Officer grabbed her black combat boots from the rack and sat down on the couch to put them on. When she stood back up, she saw Waverly leaning forward on the counter with her butt sticking out, texting somebody (most likely Wynonna). She smirked at the opportunity that she had laid out for her.

       Silently walking up behind her, she grabbed her hips, pulling her into her. Waverly’s breath hitched in her throat. “You should _really_ wear these jeans more often,” she whispered when Waverly stood up straight, back flush against her body. She dipped her head, leaving a trail of kisses along her neck.

       “If _that_ would be a regular occurrence, I just might wear them every day.”

       Nicole smiled as she began to scrape her teeth against certain points, getting a few breathy sighs out of the smaller girl. Waverly slowly turned around, moving her hands up Nicole’s front and to her neck, pulling her head down and locking their lips. The kiss was slow, lasting long enough to make them have to pull back for air. The redhead smiled down at her girlfriend, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Let’s get going, I don’t wanna be late for the second part of our day.” She threw her a wink and Waverly rolled her eyes, turning towards the door. The Deputy gave her a smack on the ass, making her face flush for the countless time that day. They both walked out of the house and towards the cruiser.

       “Your cast _really_ makes your outfit come together,” Waverly joked as Nicole opened her door for her.

       “Why, thank you,” she deadpanned, shutting the door and walking around to the other side. She pulled away from her house and Waverly leaned forward, flipping through the channels on the radio. Her mouth curved into a big evil grin as she heard the beginning beat of What Makes You Beautiful start up. She looked over to Nicole who let out a dramatic groan. She turned it up and began scream-singing the words, leaning her head back onto Nicole's arm. The redhead tried her best to hold back her smile, but just couldn’t. She was being adorable. Right before the chorus started, Nicole kicked the volume up another 10 notches and joined her girlfriend in her scream-singing, belting out all the words.

       The rest of their ride consisted of the expected: scream-singing the songs that had been making people’s ears bleed for the past few months and Waverly singing the slower/less annoying songs while Nicole sat there, glancing over at her with heart eyes. She pulled up in front of a metal barn-looking building with two large garage doors on the front and a regular door on the side. She stepped out and went around, opening the brunette’s door for her. This was _not_ what Waverly expected when she said she kept her cars in a garage.

       Nicole swung her arm over her shoulder. “You ready?” She asked with an excited grin. Waverly matched the grin with a nod. The Officer walked them up to the door, unlocking it and pushing it open. Waverly was hit with a smell of rubber trying to be covered up with some type of clean linen scent. Nicole punched a code in to shut the intruder alarm off and flipped on four light switches.

       The brunette's eyes wandered around the large area. The floors were concrete and the walls were covered in steel diamond metal with various pictures of cars and motorcycles scattered around. The far right corner contained a black leather couch sectional with some tables and a TV mounted on the wall. In the opposite corner, there was a bar area with a small kitchen. And in the middle between the two was a large sound system and she noticed there were speakers placed all around the room. A set of stairs let up to a small room, she didn’t know what it contained though. Up front, in the corner closest to them, sat a workbench, some car jacks, and three spare tires. The other contained multiple red toolbox shelves and regular shelves that had bottles of “car liquids” sitting on them. Against the back wall hung a neon light sign that read “Haught-Rod’s Garage”. Sat in the middle of the room were 3 beautiful vehicles. Far right was a motorcycle, decorated with purple and red paint with chrome trim and two helmets sat on the seat. The middle was a shiny red convertible. And the far left was a _kick-ass_ electric blue Lamborghini. It wasn’t until now that she realized her mouth was slightly agape. She shut it, looking back at her girlfriend, who was smiling with her arms crossed, leaning against a wall.

       “I like your sign,” she breathed, gesturing to it.

       Nicole pushed herself off the wall and joined back at her side. “Jer got me that for my birthday last year. I hated it at first, but I think it brings the room together now.” Waverly nodded. Nicole noticed her eyes glancing back and forth between the cars and her. “You wanna go look at them, Baby? They don’t bite.” Waverly let out an excited giggle and Nicole sighed, taking her hand. She first walked them up to the Harley. “This is the ‘06 Harley Davidson Fat Boy, Screaming Eagle edition. Rides pretty smooth, being a Fat Boy and all. I haven’t got to ride this year yet, though, cause it’s been too damn cold,” she ended with a huff.

       “Gotta love Canada,” Waverly sighed, looking up at her with a smile and a squeeze of her hand.

       Nicole walked them around to the red car and leaned back on the door. “This baby,” she said, smacking her hand on the top of the windshield frame. “Is the 2000 Chevrolet Corvette. She looks brand new with ‘er new paint job, though.”

       “ _2000_? It's in _great_ condition!” Waverly leaned over, peeking inside at the shiny leather interior.

       “Yea, that was all Aunt Liz, this car was like a kid to her. She even scolded me when I called it names, mostly “The Mystery Machine” or “Gumby”.”

       Waverly laughed at that, smacking her on the arm. “How dare you insult a car!” She scolded sarcastically.

       Nicole stood up straight. “My point exactly,” she sighed. She walked them over to the blue car and Waverly saw the huge smile on her face. “This is my second child, brother to Calamity. 2013 Lamborghini Aventador. They said she bought it a month before she passed. I think it was kinda a midlife crisis type of deal, but hey, now I own a Lambo.” She let out a sigh, rubbing a smudge off the mirror with the bottom of her shirt.

       Waverly took a step towards her, pulling her close, knocking their hips together. “You should feel very lucky. I _almost_ like your cars more than you,” she whispered with a smirk, pulling her head down into a kiss.

       She ran her fingers up her back before pulling back and pushing their foreheads together. “I feel like the luckiest girl in the world,” she smiled, kissing the tip of her nose. She pulled her back into the kiss, turning them and walking her back until the smaller girl hit the side of the Corvette.

       The younger girl kissed her way to her ear. “Impossible, _I’m_ the luckiest girl in the world,” she whispered back, voice wavering the slightest bit, showing how much that statement meant to her. Nicole cupped her cheek, looking at her with soft eyes when she saw her’s fill with tears. Waverly pushed herself off the car, wrapping her arms around Nicole’s middle and burying her face into her shoulder. 

       She wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, now feeling silent sobs start to shake through her. “Waves? What is it?” She asked softly. She moved her hands to her shoulders as she felt her pull back.

       Waverly met her worried eyes, still crying. Nicole brought her hands to her face, wiping her cheeks. “Nic, I . . .” She began to try and say something but another rush of emotions came over her, making her knees buckle.

       She lurched forward, grabbing onto Nicole’s upper arms, making her stumble back a step. “ _Oof_ , ok . . . up,” Nicole breathed as she scooped Waverly into her arms somewhat bridal style. She was sobbing again by the time Nicole got them to the couch. She sat them down and the smaller girl resituated herself on her lap, pushing her feet behind her back and wrapping her arms around her neck, hugging the Officer tight. Nicole leaned her head on her shoulder, slowly rubbing her hand up and down her back. “Shhhh . . . it’s ok, Waves . . . you’re ok . . . I got you, Baby.”

       After about 10 minutes, Waverly had stopped crying. She was just trying to gather her thoughts. Nicole dropped her hands to Waverly’s lap when she leaned back. “Sorry if I ruined your plans,” she mumbled, wiping her fingers under her eyes.

       “Noo, you didn’t,” Nicole assured, rubbing her thumbs on her thighs. “I actually planned for us to have 30 minutes to spend here. And by the looks of it, we still haveee . . .” She pulled Waverly’s phone out of her back pocket. It read 10:52. “8 minutes.” Waverly let out a sigh, fear that their whole day was ruined now gone. “Now, are you gonna be able to tell me what’s shooting around in that big brain of yours?”

       “It’s just . . .” She fixed Nicole’s sleeves, making them even and pushed away some of the folds, working her way up each arm, feeling how her muscles relaxed under her touch. “Ok, I’m just gonna say it . . . Nicole, I . . . I love you, I _really_ _really_ love you. Like, more than I’ve ever loved anyone else before. I don’t think I would have been able to get through this last week without you. And, frankly, I don’t think I will be able to get through the rest of my _life_ without you . . . And that’s what scares me . . .” Waverly’s eyes welled up again, but she pushed it away. “Everyone I love always gets taken away from me . . . Mama left when I was four . . . Although he was a horrible man, Daddy died when I was six . . . Wynonna left me all alone when I needed her most . . . It just always happens, and I wouldn’t be able to handle it if you left or-or died! You’re a cop! It’s your job to put yourself _literally_ in the line of fire! . . . And I just can’t lose you, Nic. Y-you’re my everything, and without my everything, I’d be nothing.”

       Waverly looked into Nicole’s eyes, waiting for her to say something. But, she didn’t. She just wrapped her arms around her middle, pulling her into a tight hug. Waverly wrapped her’s around her neck again. They held the silent embrace for a few seconds before Nicole spoke. “I hope you know that I don’t plan on leaving you . . . ever . . . I think you’re stuck with me, Waves.”

       Waverly pulled back with a wide smile. “I think you’re the one stuck with me,” she giggled. Nicole let out a happy sigh, placing her hand on her cheek and giving her a gentle kiss. She moved her hands under Waverly’s thighs and stood up as the smaller girl pulled her in for another kiss.

       “You ready to hit the road, Darlin’?” Nicole asked, looking over towards the cars.

       “Mhm,” Waverly answered, giving her one final kiss before unlocking her ankles from behind her back. Nicole set her down. “I’m ready to do anything if you keep calling me that,” she smirked, tracing her finger down her front.

       “I guess I’ll keep that in mind then,” the redhead muttered lowly with a sly smile.        

       Waverly took her hand and they walked over to the cars. “Is my makeup all screwed up now?” She asked, pushing up her lashes.

       “Nope, you look perfect _as always_ ,” she sighed, squeezing her hand.

       Waverly blushed. “Which one are we taking?” She asked, turning back to the cars.

       “You pick.”

       Her face lit up. “Really!?”

       “Yea, really,” she laughed. The brunette pondered over her two options. She really loved both cars, so it was hard to decide. She finally stuck her arm out, pointing to the Lamborghini. “Good choice,” she smiled, kissing her temple. She walked over to the workbench and unlocked the top drawer, pulling a set of keys out. She then flipped all the lights off and walked back to Waverly, ushering her to the passenger side and pulling the door open.

       “Holy . . . wow,” Waverly gasped, seeing the door open upwards, not outwards.

       “Cool, right?”

        “Uh-huh,” she breathed, eyes still wide. Nicole climbed in the other side and started it up. She looked to Waverly and licked her lips. She cocked an eyebrow. Nicole gave it a little gas, hearing the engine rev. The brunette’s mouth dropped open and Nicole laughed, pressing a button on the roof, making the garage door open.

       “You like?” Nicole asked, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.

       “I love,” she answered with a wide smile.

       Nicole smiled back and pulled out of the garage, hitting the button again to make the door close behind them. “We got a bit of a ride ahead of us, so get comfy.” She spun a knob on the console, flipping through the radio stations, finding the one they were listening to on the way there.

       “Are you still not gonna tell me where we’re going?” Waverly asked, pushing her bottom lip out.

       “Well, right _now_ we are going to the gas station cause we need gas,” she answered, biting her cheek to hold in a laugh.

       “Niccccc! Please?!”

       “Nope,” she ended, popping the p.

       “You’re mean,” she huffed.

       “And you’re cute,” the redhead returned, waggling her eyebrows at her. Waverly shook her head. She dropped her hand to her casted hand, picking it up and examining it. She squeezed each of her fingers, making sure they returned to their normal color, proving they were getting enough circulation.

       “Does it still hurt?” she asked, bending her pinky, the only finger not casted up.

       “Yea, but I’ve gotten used to it by now,” she shrugged.

       “I’m doing your laundry when we get back. I want that sling back on."

       The Officer went to complain but stopped at the look thrown in her direction. “Fine,” she mumbled. She pulled up to a pump at the gas station and hopped out. Waverly took a second to figure out how to open the door and walked around, standing next to her. The redhead pulled her wallet out of her pocket and thumbed through it, pulling a $5 note out, handing it to her. “You wanna run in and get us drinks? Grab whatever you want, I’ll take a sweet tea.” She closed her eyes. “And don’t you _dare_ try to pay.” She opened them and placed her hand on her cheek. “Everything today is on me, ok Wave?” Waverly sighed, arching her body into Nicole when she came in for a kiss.

       She pulled back after a few seconds and rested her hand on her chest, fingers tapping on her collarbone. “One of these days you _will_ let me pay for something,” she said as she turned away.

       “I wouldn’t count on it!” Nicole called to her, making her roll her eyes with a smile. Waverly made her way into the gas station, heading back to the drink section. She got Nicole’s tea and grabbed herself a black cherry flavored water. Paying, she put the change in the charity bucket and walked back out to Nicole, joining her in the car.

       She opened her tea for her but withheld it for a second. “What’s this called?” She asked, pulling her top lip in with her tongue.

       “Sweet tea?” The Deputy said slowly, cocking her eyebrow.

       “One more time?”

       “Sweet tea,” she repeated, very confused.

       “Mk, here you go,” she ended with a large grin, handing it over.

       Nicole took it, still looking at her funny. “Why?” 

       “I just like how you say it,” Waverly sighed, bumping her with her shoulder. “With your _southern twang_.”

       “Oh jeez,” she mumbled, face reddened as she pulled out of the lot.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       45 minutes later, Nicole was driving on the highway, entering Calgary. “You haven’t been in the city since you were _5_?!” She asked, eyes widened at Waverly.

       “I’ve never had a reason to come here, I guess."

       “Dang, I used to _live_ here,” she mumbled, looking around at the familiar buildings.

       “This is where you lived before Purgatory?!”

       “Yea. I wanted to be close to college.”

       “Oh right, I forgot people actually _go_ to classes. I did all my college online.”

       “Oh wow,” she said, looking over at her.

       “You go to any crazy parties?”

       “Every weekend,” Nicole sighed, only slightly sarcastic.

       Waverly laughed, slowly fading out as she thought about Nicole living here a little more. “Wait, you were a _Big City_ cop?!” 

       “Why else would I be such a hardass?” She asked with a smirk. “But, yea I was. Only for like a year and a half, though. I rose up in the ranks pretty quick, that’s why I was already qualified to be a Sheriff's Deputy when I transferred.”

       “And how’d you do that?” She watched Nicole’s face change.

       “I, uh, handled an armed bank robbery . . . by myself,” she answered, putting the car in park.

       “You what!?” 

       “I’ll tell you inside,” she said with a smile, pointing to the building she parked in front of.

       She looked out the window, seeing a little diner. “Are you proposing _brunch_ , Officer Haught?” 

       “I am, Ms. Earp.” Nicole stepped out of the car, walking around and opening her door for her. Waverly stepped out, and her wrapped her arm around her waist. “You see that building up there?” She asked, pointing to a tall apartment building a few blocks up the road.

       “Yes.”

       “That’s where I used to live, and I would come here _every_ morning,” she said with a smile, thinking back to years past.

       “Well, let's hop to it before I starve to death!”

        The Officer led them inside and got them a table. She faced out the front window and Waverly faced the inside of the diner. “Get whatever you want, Babe,” Nicole mumbled, skimming over the menu. Waverly was doing the same. “Just don’t get something _too_ filling cause our next adventure might involve eating a little more.”

       Waverly shot her a glare and Nicole smiled, looking back down. “How the heck am I supposed to choose when it all sounds so good?” She grumbled.

       Nicole chuckled. “Why do you think I always came here?” She shut her menu, having decided what she wanted. The younger girl decided on something right as the waiter came back with their drinks. They placed their orders and he wandered off to go put it in.

       “Ok, now spill. What happened?” Waverly asked, propping her head up on her hands, elbows resting on the table.

       “It was a Friday morning. I was off work and had some running to do, one of those things was going to the bank. I was waiting in line when I heard 3 shots go off. Everyone dropped to the ground, so I did so too, seeing that there were two men, both with guns. The security guard tried to get them to drop their weapons, which was a stupid move and they ended up just shooting him. I was packing, obviously. Living out here, I always was. So, I had it ready if I needed it. One of the guys was walking around, zip-tying everyone’s hands and the other was getting the money from behind the counter. By the time the one doofus got to me, the other was walking back to the vault with the manager. I knew I had to do something because one man resisted the restraints and he shot him, so I knew he was not scared to kill people. When he was tying the lady next to me, I grabbed the gun out of his hand and slid it away. I raised mine to his head and ordered him to get on the ground quietly, which he surprisingly did. I restrained him with one of his zip ties and pulled my badge out of my shirt. We were required to wear them on a necklace at all times. I showed it around the room, and everyone calmed down a little bit. I made my way towards the back, where the other guy went and I saw him with a gun to the lady’s head as she was working on opening the vault. I made my presence known and he did the _opposite_ of what I expected. I thought he would hold her hostage and I’d take a shot at his shoulder and it’d be over, whatever. But noooo, he decided he wanted to open fire on me. I got behind the wall and peaked a few times. He had pushed the lady away and was hiding. I began to shoot back and ended up knocking him down with a shot to the gut. He dropped and I rushed over and restrained him. When I walked back around, dragging him along with me, 4 members from my precinct rushed in. The scumbag made it, along with the security guard. The only casualty was that guy that resisted. My Commanding Officer awarded me for handling the situation and I was on the news and stuff like that.”

       “That was really brave, Nic. I’m proud of you,” she said with a smile, reaching out and rubbing her hand.

       “Thank you, Baby. It was s-” She was cut off by an arm wrapping around her neck in a chokehold. In .5 seconds, she was up with the culprit’s arm pinned behind their back. Waverly’s eyes went wide.

       “Ooo, you’re still a feisty one, Haught!” The blonde freckled lady said. She was dressed in a dark blue Police uniform, fit with the hat.  

       “ _Goddammit_ , Meyer, I’m actually gonna end up _hurting_ you one of these times!” Nicole huffed with a smile, giving the lady a shove. Now Waverly was now _very_ confused.

       “Eh, it's worth it. Your face is priceless every time,” she smirked. Nicole rolled her eyes. The police woman shifted her glance to Waverly, now noticing Nicole was not here alone. “Holy shit, Haught! Did you finally find someone to settle down with?!”

       Nicole gave her a piercing glare before looking over to Waverly, holding her hand out, signaling for her to join her. Waverly stood and walked to her side. “ _Meyer_ ,” she said through her teeth. “This is my girlfriend, Waverly. Waves, this is Melody Meyer, my old knucklehead of a partner.”

       Waverly held her hand out and shook the other officer’s hand. “Nice to meet you!” 

       “As to you,” she responded. She reached out and picked up Nicole’s casted arm. “ _So_ , who’d you fight this time?” Nicole gave her _yet another_ piercing glare and pulled a chair up to the table for her.

       “She got into a fight with her cruiser,” Waverly sighed as she sat down.

       Melody raised her eyebrows. “Oooh.” She looked up at Nicole with the slightest bit of concern in her eyes. “What’d they say?”

       “Just some nasty comments when we were at dinner, ticked me off, same ol’, same ol’,” Nicole said, waving her hand around. Waverly assumed that something like that had happened before.

       The other officer let out a groan. “Is it screwed up pretty bad?”

       “I get surgery in a few days, so I’d say so yea . . . Oh, and the icing on the cake . . . guess who my doctor is?”

       “Oh my God! Is it Long Neck?”

       Nicole nodded with a snicker. “She finally signed the papers, though, so that’s good.”

       “Took her long enough . . . Did you get to meet her?” Melody asked, looking at Waverly.

       “Well, I left the room for _literally_ 5 minutes and came back to them going at each other’s throats in the middle of an ER, so if that answers your question,” Waverly said, looking over to Nicole, who was looking back at her with a toothy grin.

       Melody laughed. “She’s really a bitch,” she mumbled.

       “Really?” Waverly and Nicole asked sarcastically at the same time, making the whole table erupt in laughter.

       “Ahhh . . . so how’s it going with you and Tucker?” Nicole asked.

       “Mmmm, I’d say pretty good,” she smirked, holding her hand out, revealing a shiny ring.

       Nicole snatched her hand up, bringing it to her face. “When?!?!” She asked with a huge smile on her face.

       “Like 2 weeks ago . . . He did it in the station on our anniversary!”

       “Aww, congrats, man, I told you ya’lld last!”

       Melody smiled and placed her hat back on her head and stood.“Thanks, Haught . . . I should get going. Webb hates when we’re late,” she said, rolling her eyes.

       “Ugh, glad I don’t have to deal with his wrath anymore,” Nicole sighed, standing up. “It was really nice seeing you again, Mel.” They did some kind of “bro hug handshake” that made the corners of Waverly’s mouth turn upwards.

       “You need to call me more often,” Meyer grumbled, bumping her with her arm.

       “10-4,” the redhead sighed, rolling her eyes.

       “It was really nice meeting you, Waverly!” Melody said with a smile.

       “You, too!” The shorter officer stepped up and whispered something in Nicole’s ear, and whatever it was made Nicole’s face turn red with a smile. She smacked her on the shoulder and turned away with a wave. Nicole joined Waverly back at the table. “She’s really sweet, Nic.”

       “Sweet might not be the best word to use, but yea, I love ‘er. We were in Academy together and ended up in the same Precinct.” Waverly smiled, glancing behind her, seeing their waiter carrying a tray of food while walking towards them. He set their food down and moved on to his other tables. “They called me, her, and Jer the Three Musketeers. We never left each other’s sides. They were the only two there for me after . . . I never told you that either, huh?” She asked, taking a bite of her wrap.

       “Told me what?” Waverly asked.

       “Why I transferred?” The brunette shook her head, sipping on her milkshake. Nicole stuck her straw in it, snagging a sip before she could react. “Jer let it slip that I was gay and none of the guys took it well . . . being dicks to me . . . even going as far as setting up a false call so they could beat up on me . . . I quit after that.”

       Waverly rubbed her thumb along her hand. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

       “No, it’s ok. I’m over it now . . . I’m glad it happened actually cause now I’m here,” she said with a smile. They continued on with their brunch happily.

       “Can you tell me now?” Waverly pleaded as she stacked their dishes at the edge of the table.

       Nicole sighed, finishing up the rest of Waverly’s milkshake for her. “You know how you have a weird obsession with Disney movies?” Waverly noticed she was looking out the window behind her. She cocked an eyebrow, turning to see what she was looking at. She saw that the building across the street was a movie theater. The show list had Zootopia in big letters at the top. She gasped, looking back at Nicole, who had a goofy smirk on her face as she stood up and dug cash out for a tip, grabbing the check off the table.

       Waverly skidded over to her, bouncing up and down. “Really?!?!” 

       “Uh-huh.” 

       Her grin grew impossibly wider. “Oh, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you!!” She showered Nicole’s face in kisses, making her giggle. She knew Waverly would enjoy her surprise, but she didn’t figure she’d be _this_ excited.

       “Mm, I love you, too, Baby,” Nicole mumbled into her lips when her landed hers there. They walked up to the counter and Nicole paid. Waverly practically pulled her out the door and ran them across the street to the theater. They walked in and Nicole handed her previously bought tickets to the usher at the door.

       “Luxury showroom is the last room down the left hallway. Enjoy your movie!” The young teen said with a smile, handing her back her ticket stubs. Nicole smiled back and Waverly gave him a wave as they walked up to the snack counter.

       “What do you want?” The redhead asked, wrapping her arm around her middle and pulling her close. Waverly looked over the many screens on the wall above the counter, watching them flash through food options.

       “They got cheese fries!” She gasped under her breath.

       Nicole chuckled, looking down at her. “You wanna share an order of those? It’s pretty huge.” Waverly nodded ecstatically. “Ok. And you want a thing of popcorn, too?”

       “Ya.”

       “Mk.” Nicole walked them up to the counter. She noticed Waverly eyeing the slushie maker.

       “Long time no see, Officer Haught,” the older woman greeted.

       “Hey, how’s it going?"

       “Pretty good, how about yourself?”

       “Fantastic.”

       “Alright, what can I get you?”

       “I’ll need a medium popcorn, large cheese fry, a large slushie, and a large soda please.”

       The lady punched it all in on the register. “What color slushie?”

       Nicole turned to Waverly. “Nic . . .” She started to complain.

       “What color slushie, Waves?” She asked with a grin.

       Waverly bumped her with her hip. “Blue, please,” she said to the lady.

       “Ok . . . and butter on your popcorn?” She asked.

       “Yes, please,” Nicole said, pulling her wallet out. She paid and took her soda cup to the fountain.

       “Are you _trying_ to make me fat?” The smaller girl grumbled.

       “Yes, I am . . . What kind?” She asked, gesturing to the soda options. Waverly sighed dramatically and pointed to the Root Beer.

       “Oo, she really does have good tastes,” she chuckled, pressing the button and filling her cup. They walked back over to the counter and grabbed all their food. Nicole led them down the long corridor to the theater their movie was playing in and held the door open for her girlfriend. Waverly heard the usher say _luxury_ showroom, but she hadn’t expected _recliners_ as their chairs. They sat somewhere in the middle and got themselves situated right as the lights dimmed and the previews started to play. It wasn’t until the movie started that they realized they were the only people in there, which wasn’t that surprising. The movie had been out for about a week or so and it was the middle of the day.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       They enjoyed the movie. They really did. They just got a little distracted about 15 minutes before it ended. Let’s just say they walked out of the theater with blue lips and blue rings _all over_ their necks. They climbed back into the Lambo and sat there for a few seconds in silence before breaking out in a fit of laughter.

       Nicole turned to Waverly, smacking her hand on the wheel. “Oh my God! That usher's face! I can’t!”

       “It looks like you made out with one of the guys from the Blue Man Group!”

       “With how much is on you, it looks like you _are_ one of the guys from the Blue Man Group!”

       “The slushie was your idea!”

       “A very good idea!”

       They calmed down after a few minutes. “That was . . . the best movie I’ve ever been to,” the brunette sighed as Nicole started the car.

       “Me too . . . Do you wanna, uh, _wash up_ before we get back to Purgatory?” She asked with a smirk.

       “Yea, Wynonna’d never let us live this down . . . ever.” They both shuddered at the thought of Wynonna finding out.

       Stopping at a gas station, the couple quickly rushed to the bathroom and began scrubbing at their lips and necks. It came off mostly, wasn’t noticeable unless you were looking for it.

       “Good? Waverly asked, tilting her head around.

       “Good,” Nicole confirmed, looking it over. “Me?”

       “Yep.” They headed back to the car and took off towards Purgatory.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Hey . . . do you mind taking a pit stop before we head back to your house?” Waverly asked nervously as they crossed the Purgatory sign.

       “Sure, where to?”

       She shifted in her seat a little bit before looking over to Nicole. “Shorty’s.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh shiet
> 
> Hope ya'll liked this chapter!
> 
> The song Waverly was singing was Titanium by David Guetta ft. Sia  
> All credits go to those two  
> And credits for all the other song titles I used in this chapter :)


	23. Her Knight in Shining Armor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole takes Waverly to Shorty's for the first time since the attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Ya'll!
> 
> Here's another chapter for ya! Kinda short, but oh well.
> 
> Enjoy!

       The Officer slammed on the brakes, sticking her arm out to hold Waverly back as the car came to a screeching halt. “Did you just say you want to go to _Shorty’s_?” She asked, a little breathless.

       “Yea . . .” She confirmed slowly.

       Nicole furrowed her brow in concern. “A-are you sure? Are you sure you are ready to?” 

       “I-I think I am. I am going to have to at some point, I can’t avoid it forever.”

       Nicole nodded, looking at the road ahead of her as she gripped the wheel. “Ok . . . if you think you are ready to,” she mumbled. She wasn’t too sure about this.

       She pulled into the parking lot and found a spot. She stepped out and walked around to Waverly’s side, taking her hand when she got out. “You still sure?”

       “I think so,” she said, looking towards the double doors.

       “Alright. You lead the way. We’re going at your speed."

       Waverly nodded and led them to the doors, taking a deep breath before entering. She took in the familiar sight. She thought she would have started freaking out then and there, but she was fine. Nicole looked down at Waverly, who turned to her with a nod.

       They looked up and saw the middle Earp rushing over to them. “Woah Babygirl, what’re you doing here?” She asked, placing her hand on her shoulder and looking between her and Nicole. Nicole widened her eyes and shook her head in the same confusement.

       “I can’t stay away forever,” Waverly shrugged.

       “But-”

       “Wynonna, I am fine,” she assured. “Well, right _now_ I'm fine.”

       “Just- mmmph . . . Haughty, watch her and get her out of here if something changes,” the older girl sighed, rubbing her face.

       “I will.” Wynonna nodded and walked off back to the guy she was flirting with. Nicole looked back to her girlfriend. “And I will do that . . . if I think you’re gonna start freaking out.”

       Waverly sighed, moving her hand to her head and kissing her cheek. “Ok . . .” She walked them up to the bar and walked behind it. Nicole stayed at the edge, taking a seat. She watched her go up to Gus and Shorty.

       “Hey,” she mumbled from behind them. They both turned around, ending their conversation with the man at the bar when they heard the familiar voice.

       “Waverly, Honey, what- how are you?” Gus asked, just as confused as the rest.

       “I’m good,” she said with a smile. She looked at Shorty. “Hey, Boss.” She gave the old man a hug.

       “How’re you holdin’ up?” He asked, rubbing his thumbs on her arms. 

       “I think I’m doing pretty good actually . . . How’s business, people miss me?” She asked with her signature smile.

       “They sure do . . . Someone’s asked me every day where you’ve been,” he sighed.  

       “And you’ve said . . .?” She questioned, a little worried.

       “That you just needed some time off . . . that’s what we've told everyone,” Gus confirmed. Waverly let out a breath. “Where’s that redhead of yours?” She asked, scanning her eyes around the room, finding her sitting at the end of the bar on her phone. “ _There_ she is.” The trio walked over to her, Gus and Shorty staying on the inside while Waverly walked to the outside and took a seat next to her.

       “Officer Haught! How’s my favorite deputy?” Shorty asked with a wide smile.

       Nicole returned the greeting. “Hey, Shorty. I’m good, how are you?”

       “Good, good. Can I get either of you anything?”

       “Nah, I’m on duty in a few hours,” Nicole answered.

       “I’m not a day drinker like Nonna, Shorty,” Waverly chuckled.

       He nodded. “Alright. Well, it was nice seeing you two again, especially you Waverly. I hope to have you back soon.”

       “I hope to _be_ back soon,” she said with a smile. He wandered back down the bar with a wave.  

       “So, what have you two been up to today?” Gus asked, leaning forward on the bar.

       “We drove up to Calgary, got some food, and then went to see a movie,” Nicole answered.

       “Oo, that sounds fun,” she smiled. They both looked to Waverly, whose eyes were fixed elsewhere. Nicole followed them back to the hallway of the bathroom.

       She rubbed her hand on her thigh. “Wave?”

       She quickly met her eyes. “Sorry, what?” She asked, glancing between the two sets of worried stares.

       “You ok, Dear?” Gus asked. Nicole took her girlfriend's hand to stop her from picking at the edge of her shirt.

       “Yea, I’m good . . . just thinking.”

       “About?” Gus and the Officer asked at the same time.

       “I dunno, just thinking,” she sighed, looking up at Nicole with a small smile. Gus and the redhead shared an uncertain glance before they looked back to the smaller girl.

       “Ok . . . just making sure you’re alright,” Nicole mumbled, looking down at her lap.

       “And I am alright,” Waverly assured, tilting her head up. “You mind if I go and talk to people?”

       Nicole looked to Gus, who looked to be in the same mindset she was. “Go ahead . . . just _do not_ go back there without me, ok? I mean it.”

       “I won’ttt,” she assured, standing up and giving her a peck on the lips. She wandered off, not letting go of Nicole’s hand until she would have dragged her off the stool if she took another step.

       Nicole let out a groan when she was out of earshot, turning back to the older woman. “Get me a whiskey,” she mumbled, rubbing her forehead.

       “Yes, Ma’am,” she grumbled back, turning to grab two glasses and the bottle. She poured each of them a glass and pushed Nicole’s towards her. “What’s gotten into her? Why does she have a sudden urge to come back?”

       “I have no clue,” she sighed, looking down at her drink as she swirled the brown liquid around in her cup. “She just asked me out of the blue if we could stop by here. I was just as surprised as you are.”

       “Mmph, I know she likes to push herself . . . but I think this might be too much, even for her. What happened isn’t something you can just shake off.”

       The Officer looked up at her with worried eyes. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her, but she doesn’t want to show anyone her weak side. And she keeps it all locked away, not realizing it’s doing more harm than good.” She shot back the remainder of her glass and pushed it to Gus, who gave her a refill.

       “I hate to say it, but this actually might be what she needs to make her open her eyes . . .” Gus let out a huff. There was silence before she began again. “Has she ever had one of those night terrors while you were in bed with her?”

       Nicole furrowed her brow in confusion for a second before remembering what she was talking about. “No, not that I know of,” she mumbled, watching Gus look down at her drink.

       She looked back up, shaking her head with a somewhat smile. “Every night you _haven’t_ been there, she has. _Every night_. . . Nicole Haught, you’re the only thing keeping that girl’s head on straight.” She reached out and placed her hand on top of the Officer’s. “She’d be a mess without you . . . So I will keep thanking you until my time is done for keeping her sane through all of this.”

       Nicole met her eyes and nodded, swallowing her emotions down. She hadn’t known that before. “She’s the light of my life . . . I’d crawl to the edge of the Earth if it meant she would have all the happiness she needed.”

       The older woman patted her hand before pulling it back. “Gosh, I’ve never seen love strike so fast,” she mumbled, finishing off her drink and setting the glass into a bucket below the bar.

       Nicole felt her cheeks grow hot. She looked around the bar, trying to find Waverly amongst the groups of people. She shot a look to Gus, who was now looking too. “You see her?” She asked, standing up.

       “I do not . . . Nicole . . .” Her voice faltered at the end. The redhead looked to her again, seeing the fear in her eyes. She swallowed hard and sprinted from the bar, pushing past people that got in her way until she arrived at the hallway. She saw Waverly standing at the door, pale as a ghost. She muttered curses under her breath as she rushed to her.

       She spun her around with her hands on her shoulders. “Waverly.” She lifted her chin up to make her glazed eyes meet her’s. “Waves, snap out of it.” She pat on her cheek a few times, shaking her shoulder with her other hand, trying to make her have some sort of reaction. But she didn’t move. Her face stayed locked, eyes wide, mouth open. Nicole shook her a few more times, gently saying her name. She saw her eyes move . . . rolling back in her head. She fell forward, passing out completely. Nicole caught her and hoisted her up in the same fashion she had earlier that day. Her head tipped back and arms fell limp. Nicole rushed back down the hall, not for sure where to go now. She remembered Shorty’s office. “GUS!”

       The older woman shot her eyes in her direction and made a mad dash towards the two women. “What the hell happened?!?!” She asked as she frantically shoved the key into the door handle, pushing it open. 

       “I-I don’t know. She w-was back there frozen an-and then she just passed out!” Nicole looked over when she heard footsteps rush to the door.

       “Oh my god, I told her not to go back there,” Wynonna said under her breath, eyes wide as she walked into the room. Nicole’s face formed into a snarl. She laid Waverly down sideways on a chair and stalked over to the darker brunette, forcing her backward and shoving her up against the wall.

       “You _knew_ she was going to and did nothing to stop her!? What the hell is wrong with you, Wynonna?!” Nicole gritted through her teeth, pulling her forwards and shoving her against it again.

       “Oof!” Wynonna pushed at the redhead, but she wasn’t able to escape her adrenaline-infused grasp. “I thought when I said “Don’t go back there”, she wouldn’t, Nicole! This isn’t my fault!”

       Nicole moved her hand to her neck. “She would obviously do the _opposite_ of what you said! You’re her sister, for fuck’s sake, you of all people should know that!”

       “Where were _you,_  OFFICER HAUGHT?” Wynonna spat back. “Huh?! I didn’t see you watching over her, being her knight in shining armor!”

       Nicole growled and shoved her again, harder than the two previous times. “She is a grown woman, I’m not her babysitter!”

       “Did I _not_ tell you to _watch her_ when you came in here?! That was literally the only thing I told you to do!” 

       The Deputy tightened her grip on her throat. “Well, maybe when she went up to you all “I wanna go see where my ex-scumbag tried to rape me”, it should have been a red flag to take her over to me so I _could_ do what you told me to do!” She felt a hand on her shoulder pull her back.

       “Break it up, you two!” Shorty grimaced. “We’re not playing the blame game here!” Nicole dropped her hands to her sides and Wynonna sucked in a breath of air. The redhead looked over, seeing Gus sat in a chair next to Waverly, gently patting her face with a wet rag. She sulked over to them, confirming that she was still out. She sat down on the floor in front of the chair, using it as a backrest, and wrapped Waverly’s arm around her, kissing her ice-cold hand.

       “It’s neither of your faults,” Gus said after a few minutes of silence, looking between Nicole and Wynonna, who was sat against the wall behind the chair.

       “I shouldn’t have left her,” they both mumbled at the same time.

       “ _She_ made the decision to go against both of your best wishes, so it is nobody’s fault but her own,” Shorty added from his desk. They both let out a sigh, knowing he was right. Nicole kissed her hand again, feeling her fingers move as she did so. She sprung up on her knees and spun around.

       “Welcome back, Sweetheart. You gave us quite a scare there,” Gus said with a caring smile, looking down at her niece, whose eyes were open, tracing over her face. Wynonna was now up with her hands on the back of the chair, looking at her.

       “What happened?” She slurred, slowly sitting up, sitting properly in the chair. She met Nicole’s concerned eyes.

       “You passed out, Babygirl,” Wynonna said from behind.

       “Why?” She asked, tilting her head back to look at her sister.

       “ _You_ decided not to listen to any of us and went back to the bathroom,” she said with an annoyed smile.

       “ _Wynonna_ ,” Gus grumbled in a scold.

       “Oh yea . . .” Waverly breathed, looking forward at the wall before shifting her glance down to Nicole.

       The redhead let go of her hand and placed her hand on her thigh, sitting up more. “You ok, Love?” She asked, rubbing her thumb in a circle.

       “I think so,” she sighed. The older girl nodded and stood up. Waverly held her arms out, signaling she wanted help up.

       Nicole took her arms. “Up on 3 . . . 1, 2, 3.” She pulled her onto her feet and grabbed onto her hip to make sure she was steady. “Good?” 

       “Yea, thank you,” she said.

       Nicole let out the breath that had been waiting to be released. “Ok.” She pushed her forehead against the smaller girl’s. “Don’t you _ever_ do something stupid like that again . . . You scared the shit out of me, Wave.”

       She frowned.  “I’m sorry . . .” she mumbled, wrapping her arms around her back, hugging her tight. “Can we go home?” She asked into her shirt.

       “Yea . . . You wanna go grab your stuff from my house first?”

       Waverly looked up at her with her eyebrow cocked. “I want to _go_ to your house, Nic,” she chuckled.

       “Oh . . . ok, yea,” she smiled, kissing her forehead and releasing her from the hug. Waverly grabbed her hand and said her goodbyes to everyone in the room. Wynonna offered to walk them out.

       They exited the double doors and the older Earp let out a gasp. “Holy fucking car!” She began to walk towards the Lambo.

       “Touch my car and I’ll _actually_ hurt you, Earp,” the Officer warned.

       Wynonna shot her a look. “Yea, oooook, _your car_ ,” she mimicked, walking up to the front of the car. Nicole pulled the keys out of her pocket and hit the panic button, making the car start flashing and beeping, sending Wynonna skidding back. She saw Waverly and Nicole laughing and noticed the keys in her hand. “Wait, you weren’t kidding?!”

       “No, I wasn’t kidding.”

       “Let me guess, you have a Harley, too,” Wynonna said, rolling her eyes. Her jaw dropped when Waverly let out a snort.

       “Shh, she can’t know, she will want to borrow it,” Nicole mock-whispered.

       “Damn, Haught-Rod,” the older brunette breathed, still looking at her wide-eyed. The couple looked at each other with smirks and walked over to the car.

       “Bye, Nonna, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Waverly sighed, pulling her sister into a hug.

       “You’re leaving me lonely again tonight?” 

       “Yep,” Waverly laughed. “Love you, Wy.” Wynonna gave her a peck on the cheek and she climbed in the car.

       “Bye, Wynonna,” Nicole muttered as she opened her door.

       “Hey, can I talk to you for a sec, actually?”

       Nicole eyed her for a second before closing the door and walking over to her, crossing her arms. “What?” She asked, obviously still mad from the incident earlier.

       “It’s about Willa, actually . . .” she said, scratching the back of her neck.

       “Willa?”

       “Yea . . . I went outside earlier and caught her up by the fence talking to Bobo . . . they didn’t see me but it's made me a little suspicious. She said she is going out tonight and I heard you got booted to the night shift, so I was wondering-”

       “You want me to spy on her?”

       Wynonna pursed her lips. “I want _us_ to spy on her. I really don’t have a good feeling about this, Haught Shit . . . Please?” She begged with a toothy grin. Nicole thought it over for a second.

       “I’ll see what I can do,” she mumbled, stepping back when the brunette clapped her shoulder. 

       “Thanks, Haughty. I’ll let you know if I learn anything . . . And let’s not mention this to Waverly, ok? I don’t need her worrying about anything else.”

       “Mm, I’m not gonna lie to her, Wynonna,” Nicole said, scuffing her boot around on the ground.

       “How about I tell her how you did a body shot off of me the other night?” She smirked.

       “I did _not_ do that," she scoffed. Her face suddenly went white with a sharp inhale. "Did I?” 

       “I dunno, did you?” Wynonna threw her a wink and walked back towards Shorty’s. Nicole took a deep breath and got in the car.

       “What’s wrong with your face?” Waverly asked. Nicole cocked an eyebrow. “You’re, like, really pale.” She reached up and rubbed her cheek.

       “Hmm,” Nicole shrugged, starting the car. She drove up and revved the engine right next to Wynonna, making her jump 8 feet in the air. Both laughing, they headed off to Nicole’s garage to switch out cars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, damn. 
> 
> Waverly might have pushed herself just a littleeeee too far today. 
> 
> Hope you liked it! 
> 
> We always love WynHaught angst.
> 
> Also, Willa. C'mon now. We know you are a bitch, but seriously.


	24. Ask and You Shall Receive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just read it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yea, what they said ^

       Nicole slowed to a stop in her cruiser at the house. “What time do you have to be at work?” Waverly asked, stepping out and walking up to the front door.

       “7,” she answered, pushing the door open after she unlocked it.

       “Ughhhh, it's already 5:30, though!”

       Nicole looked up at her, pulling her boots off. “Hmm . . . I guess we better make the time we have last then.” She stood and tugged Waverly back towards her by the loop in her pants. 

       “What did you have in mind, Officer Haught,” she asked, turning around. Nicole pulled her into a quick kiss, taking Waverly’s free hand in her own, other being wrapped around her neck. The brunette smiled, moving said hand down to her jaw, deepening the kiss.

       The Officer pulled back a few seconds later, teasingly casting her hot breath onto her lips. “I’m not sure . . . but I _think_ it might involve my bedroom,” she smirked, pulling her hips flush against her own.

       “I don’t think I remember how to get there . . . you might have to _take me_ ,” she husked, gripping her upper arms.

       “Mm, is that so?” She asked, licking her lip with the bottom of her tongue. She bent forward and threw the brunette over her shoulder.

       Waverly let out a shriek that was followed by giggles as she smacked her hands on Nicole’s back as she made her way down the hallway. “Niccccc!” The redhead tossed Waverly on the bed with a cocky smile and she kicked her shoes off as the older girl climbed on top of her, leaning down on her elbows and pressing her hips into her. Waverly sucked in a breath of air, pulling Nicole’s lips to hers with her hand on the back of her neck. The kiss was passionate, leaving them both searching for more. Waverly sat them up and pulled off her cardigan, tossing it to the floor. Nicole pushed her back down, working her way down her neck to her exposed collarbone. The smaller girl gripped the pillow behind her head, letting out a breathy moan. Nicole smiled as she worked her way back to her lips, rocking her hips harder as she slipped her tongue in. “You are wearing way too much clothing for my liking,” the brunette whispered, sliding her hand down to the hem of her shirt.

       “Then why don’t you do something about it, Darlin’?” Nicole husked, biting her lip when she felt a shiver travel through Waverly’s body.

       The smaller girl looked up at her with lust in her now darkened eyes with a wide smile and pulled her shirt off, balling it up and throwing it elsewhere. “Much better,” she smirked, tracing her eyes up the newly revealed skin. As Nicole leaned back down, she squeezed her thighs around her legs, flipping them over. The redhead looked up at her wide-eyed and she let out a giggle, pulling her own shirt off and running her fingers through her hair. Nicole wrapped her legs around her back, pulling her down to meet her hungry lips. Their tongues battled for dominance, exciting small moans from both of them. Waverly pulled back and made her way down her neck, across her collarbones, and down to the swell of her breast, nipping slightly. The redhead bucked her hips up and Waverly moved her hands down to her belt buckle, undoing it. Nicole looked down and placed her hand on Waverly’s.

       “Woah, Waverly, wait,” Nicole breathed, slightly out of breath. Waverly looked up at her wide eyes. “Are you sure?”

       “Yea,” she responded quickly. “I’m very sure.”

       “Cause we don’t have to-” Waverly cut her off with a kiss, showing her that this _was_ what she wanted. She moved back to the buckle, pulling the belt off. Nicole lifted her hips up and the smaller girl pulled the jeans down below them and off her legs. The taller girl flipped them over once again and brought her hand down to the button on her pants. “Yea?”

       “Good luck getting them off,” she chuckled. Nicole smiled and undid the buttons, sliding her good hand around the hem, trying to inch them down with no avail.

       “Ugh, stand up,” Nicole grunted, pushing herself to the edge of the bed, swinging her legs over. Waverly rolled off the bed and stood in front of her, trying to push them down herself. Nicole pulled her hips towards her, tilting her head and leaving gentle kisses down her abdomen to where the elastic of her underwear started. She stuck her fingers down the side of her jeans and began yanking them down, Waverly pulling on the other side. They got them under her hips, so Nicole threw her back on the bed, pulling them off her legs on her own with a giggle. She looked down at the beautiful girl on her bed with a smile before pouncing back on her, resting her thigh on her centre.

       The new pressure sent a shockwave through Waverly’s body. She moaned into the Officer’s mouth, digging her nails into her sides when she began to roll her hips. She met Nicole’s movements with her own. The redhead moved her hand down to Waverly’s breast, cupping it in her hand before moving her thumb around the slightly perked bud hidden beneath the fabric. She watched her throw her head back, so she snaked her hand behind her back, tapping on the clasp of her bra. She met Waverly’s eyes in question. She nodded her head, letting out a loud groan when Nicole bucked her hips as a thank you. She dipped her head to Waverly’s neck as she undid the clasp swiftly with one hand, feeling the wetness in between the brunette’s legs grow as she watched her do so. “D’you like that, Baby?” She asked near her ear as she slipped the bra off her shoulders and down her arms.

       “You’re something else, Nicole Haught,” Waverly sighed, watching the redhead’s eyes trace over her chest. She felt a little self-conscious, but it all slipped away when she looked up at her, smile as wide as a kid in a candy shop. Waverly brought her hand to the middle fabric between Nicole’s sports bra, pulling her in to meet her lips.

       “You’re beautiful,” she whispered, sending a chill down her spine. She walked her lips down to her chest, running her tongue around the stiff mountain of flesh, squeezing at the other one with her left hand. She began to grind harder and faster into the girl underneath her when she heard her whisper her name in ecstasy. She felt Waverly’s breath grow faster and she felt her hands closing around her biceps. 

       “Don’t stop!” Her eyes locked on Nicole’s face as she went to town on her nipple. She took the bud in between her teeth and pulled up slightly, letting it go as she looked into the brunette’s eyes. She bit her lip as she sat up to peel the bra off her body and then she dropped her hands to Waverly’s hips, holding them down as she rocked her hips as fast as they could go. The sight of the two perfect breasts in front of her was all Waverly needed to send her over the edge. Digging her nails into Nicole’s arms, her back arched off the bed as she let out a piercing moan. The sound was music to Nicole’s ears. She dropped her head to Waverly’s lips, slowing the roll of her hips as she eased down from her climax. “And I thought that other time was good,” the brunette said out of breath, thinking back to the time in her office.  

       “Oh, Baby, _that_ was nothing,” Nicole drawled lowly, a grin creeping up her face. Waverly’s eyes grew wide as she kissed her way from her lips all the way down to her underwear. “Is this ok?” She asked as she stuck her fingers under the hem.

       “You are allowed to do anything you want to me, Officer,” Waverly breathed, squeezing her thighs around Nicole’s hips.

       “R-Really?”

       “Yes, and you better hurry up and do so before we run out of time."

       She smirked as she slipped her underwear off, slowly looking back up at her, rubbing her thumbs on her hips. “This is gonna sound really cocky of me, but I’m kinda a righty and that hand is out of use . . . so my _performance_ might not be up to its regular standards.”

       She shot her a look. “I’m sure you’ll do fine,” she assured, pushing Nicole’s hand down, letting her finger rest against her wet folds.

       Nicole leaned forward, chin resting against her shoulder. “Oh, I know I’ll do fine . . . I’m just saying there’s better where this comes from.” She punctuated her sentence by sticking her finger in and sliding it across the swollen nub, watching her eyes roll back. “Yea?” She asked as she slowly began to roll her finger around in small circles.

        The brunette pushed herself up on her elbows and yanked Nicole’s head in, teeth knocking together. “Faster,” she mumbled against her lips. The redhead did so. Waverly moaned, looking back into her eyes with a smile. She eased back down onto the bed and pulled her down with her, sloppily searching for her tongue. Nicole sped up her movements, hearing Waverly let out some airy moans as she tangled her fingers in her hair. She pulled back quickly and grabbed Nicole’s cheeks with both of her hands. “Nicole,” she breathed heavily. “I need you . . . to fuck me.”

       Her eyes went wide at the request that was more of a demand. “You need me to- ok,” she said out loud to herself. Eyes locked on the smaller girl, she moved her middle finger down to her entrance, continuing the movements with her thumb. She slowly pushed it in its full length and left it for a second before pulling back out, letting her body get used to it. “Ok?” She asked. Waverly nodded, mouth slightly open. She did the action again, starting out slowly. She felt her twitch when she pushed against her upper wall so she sped it up a little, dropping her head to her breast and working her tongue around her nipple. Waverly was moaning louder, hand’s balling up the sheet beneath her so Nicole smashed their lips together as she added a second digit, increasing in speed some more. She felt her shudder, pushing a smile on her face.

       “I wanna feel you tomorrow, Baby,” Waverly whispered as Nicole nipped at her jawline.

       “Ask and you shall receive,” she husked in her ear as she began to flick her wrist at full speed.

       The younger girl spewed out a series of curses, walls beginning to flutter. “I’m gonna-” Her voice was cut with a guttural moan as her body clamped around Nicole’s fingers. She let out a chuckle as Waverly came down from her high. She removed her fingers, tracing them up the length of her folds before sticking them in her mouth, pulling them out with a pop. Waverly’s jaw was on the floor with that.

       “What?” She asked with a smile, dropping her hand to her hip.

       “Did you just . . .?”

       “Yes?” Nicole said slowly. “Why?”

       “I dunno . . . It's just that Champ used to say-” Nicole cut her off when she laid down on her, finding her lips with her own.

       “That shithead has _no_ clue what he is talking about and I don’t want you to believe _anything_ he ever told you anymore, ok?” Waverly nodded her head, swallowing the lump in her throat. “Good.” She dropped her head to her chest, above her heart. She began to suck at the skin, long enough that when she pulled away, she had left a good branding. She looked up to Waverly, who had a smile on her face. The brunette pulled her head up for a deep kiss, pulling back after a few seconds after, resting her forehead against the taller girl’s.

       “I love you,” she whispered, closing her eyes.

       Nicole kissed the tip of her nose. “And I love you.” She slid off the edge of the bed walking over to her dresser. “I’m gonna shower, ok?”

       Waverly sat up and stretched her arms behind her back. “Mk.” Nicole gathered some clean underclothes and headed off to the bathroom.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       She walked back in the bedroom, towel completely covering her head. “Hey, Babe, do you know-” She stopped when she removed the towel, seeing a sleeping Waverly sprawled naked across her bed. With a small smile, she walked to her closet and pulled a red Under Armour hoodie off the hanger and a pair of briefs that were tight on her and some basketball shorts out of her dresser, folding them up and leaving it in a pile at the end of the bed for her to change into when she woke up. She walked around and picked up all of the clothes they had thrown about the room and placed it all in the laundry. She then quietly gathered her uniform and left the room to change so she didn’t disturb her. 

       After she was dressed, she placed a pile of take-out menus on the nightstand with a $20 note. She drew a little heart on the bill, clicking the pen closed. She looked over to Waverly again with a smirk. She picked the pen back up and kneeled on the edge of the bed, writing _MINE_ in big letters above the mark on her chest. She pulled the covers over her and kissed her forehead before heading off to work.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole walked into the station 5 minutes before 7, chowing down on the apple she had grabbed from her house before she left. She walked into the break room and poured herself a cup of coffee before heading down to her office.

       “Officer Haught!” Nedley called as she walked past.

       She backtracked and peaked her head in. “Yes, Sir?” He signaled for her to come in. She noticed a young brunette woman in nurse scrubs sitting in the chair in front of his desk.

       “Someone would like to have a meeting with you,” he said, gesturing to the woman. She stood and held her hand out to shake, but dropped it when she realized her shakable hand was full.

       “Uh, Officer Haught. Hi,” she greeted. “My name’s Jessie Reyes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ima just go over here...in this corner...ok...


	25. Stand By

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole has a chat with Jessie and then meets with Wynonna to do some more investigating on Willa's whereabouts. We also may or may not meet the local neighborhood pervert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!
> 
> Ya'll seemed really shook about the cliffhanger in the comments of my last chapter, so I decided I mise well post it now. 
> 
> I really like this chapter (it might be my favorite so far), but I know I should have split it somewhere, I just couldn't figure out where so it's kinda 9,000 words.
> 
> It is a heavily Nicole and police stuff based chapter so if that's the stuff you like, you will really enjoy this one.
> 
> If there are some of you that have absolutely no prior knowledge of radio lingo, like how police and stuff communicate over the radio, here's a link that has (I think) all the ones I use in this chapter: https://www.chicomm.com/blog/roger-that-a-beginners-guide-to-radio-lingo
> 
> Enjoy! :D

       The Officer’s face went white, mouth dropping open. She quickly gathered herself before removing her hat with her right hand. “M-Ms. Reyes,” she gulped. “Follow me.” She walked them to her office and sat down at her desk, Jessie sitting in the chair in front of it. “What can I do for you?” She asked, taking a sip of coffee.

       The younger woman fiddled with the purse on her lap before clearing her throat. “I, uh, I’m sorry it's a little late for me to be showing up here, but this was the earliest I could get off work,” she mumbled.

       “Perfectly fine, Ma’am, my shift _just_ started,” she said with a smile, trying to ease the woman’s nerves.

       “So . . . I know it’s not my place to ask, but I’ve heard about . . . is it true, the thing with Waverly and . . . him?”

       Nicole swallowed and stood, walking over to the door to close it. She sat back down and pushed her hand down her braid. “Whatever we talk about in this room, stays in this room, can we agree on that?” Jessie nodded, furrowing her brow. “Uhm . . . ye-yes, it _is_ true. Who’d you hear it from?”

       “Sheriff mentioned something to Chrissy and she told me . . . but only me, she just wanted to let me know because . . .” She looked up at Nicole who nodded, dipping her head. “I just wanted to know cause I decided if it was . . . I wanted to testify against him.”

       Nicole’s eyes shot open. “You do?”

       “Uh . . . yea. I _can_ do that, right?”

       “Y-yes, you very much can. Both of you against him would make it a lot easier to put him away,” Nicole said, opening his file on her computer.

       “Did she get her’s filmed?” Jessie asked quietly.

       “Her statement?” She asked, still clicking around.

       “Yea . . .”

       “Yea, she got it filmed the other day.”

       Jessie nodded. “Can I see it?”

       Nicole looked at her, blinking a few times at the somewhat odd request. “Uhm . . . I don’t know, actually. I’ll go ask Nedley.” She rose from her seat and knocked on the Sheriff’s door. “Sir?”

       “Yes?” She stepped in the room and ran her finger around the Stetson she was holding.

       “Is Ms. Reyes allowed to watch Wav- Ms. Earp’s tape? I don’t know if that is against pro-”

       “It _is_ , but . . .” He pulled the camera out of his desk drawer. “That girl deserves to know what is going on.”

       Nicole smiled and stepped forward, taking the camera from her. “Thank you, Sheriff,” she nodded.

       “I don’t know if you can go a day without breaking the rules, Haught,” Nedley sighed with a smile. She placed her hat back on her head with a bashful nod and walked back to her office.

       She sat down and plugged the camera in, turning the monitor so they could both see it. “He said it is against protocol, but he has a soft spot for you,” she said with a wink.

       “Thank you, Officer,” Jessie smiled.

       “Let me know if you need me to stop it, it gets kinda . . . ya know.”

       The brunette nodded. “I remember,” she mumbled, swallowing.

       “And I’ll stop it if you have any questions.” The nurse leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, bringing a hand up to her mouth. Nicole hit play on the first tape.

 _“Case number 42048: Earp vs Hardy Clip 1. Date is currently March 16, 2016, and it is 3:41 PM. Sheriff’s Deputy Nicole Haught interviewing Ms. Waverly Earp, who claims Mr. James Hardy attempted to sexually assault her. Please note that the defendant goes by “Champ”. Ms. Earp, what day did this crime occur?”_ Nicole watched Jessie’s eyes go wide, realizing _she_ was the one who did the interview.

_“March 13, 2016.”_

_“And at approximately what time?”_

_“Maybe 7:45 PM?”_

_“So, where were you at the time of this event?”_

_“I was at Shorty’s Saloon in the bathroom.”_

       “He did it at _Shorty’s_?! Doesn’t she work there?” Jessie asked, looking at Nicole wide-eyed.

       She paused the tape. “Yea, she does . . . she hasn’t been since, though,” she confirmed.

       “I don’t blame her,” Jessie sighed. Nicole played the tape and it played through a bit.

_“Was it to the point where he didn’t know what was going on or maybe even that he didn’t even know who you were?”_

_“Um, no. He knew what he was doing. He told me why.”_

       Nicole watched Jessie shift uncomfortably in her seat.

_"What did he tell you, Ms. Earp?"_

_“He, uh . . . he said . . .”_ The clip ended.

       “She needed a minute here,” Nicole mumbled, clicking over to the next tape.

       “How’s she doing now, do you know?” Jessie asked, concern in her voice.

       “She’s doing . . . better,” Nicole said, clenching her jaw, thinking back to what had happened earlier at Shorty’s.

       “What about Wynonna? I’m surprised she didn’t kill him.”

       Nicole laughed. “Oh, she wanted to, she really did. We just didn’t let her get to where we had him . . .” She realized she had probably said too much.

       “Where you _had him_?” She questioned.

       Nicole pursed her lips before letting out a sigh. “We . . . kidnapped him . . . and beat the pulp out of him . . . before actually arresting him.”

       Jessie’s mouth dropped open. “You . . . wow.”

       “Yeaaa . . . You ready for the next part?” She nodded. The redhead pressed played.

_“When he snuck up on me, he said something along the lines of “I’m gonna show you how much you need me” and “You didn’t mean what you said earlier”.”_

       “Tha-that’s what he said to me,” Jessie stuttered, looking back and forth between Nicole and the screen. She pushed her hand through her hair.

       “Ms. Reyes, if this is too hard for you, we can stop.”

       Jessie shook her head. “No, no, I’m good.” Nicole nodded and started it up again.

_“I see. What was he referring to there?”_

_“I broke up with him earlier that day. We were together for 4 years, and I couldn’t deal with his bullsh-crap anymore.”_ Jessie tipped her head with pursed lips, annoyance on her face.

_“What caused you to break up with him?”_

_“Well . . . he was so inconsiderate. Didn’t care about anyone but himself. And it didn’t help that he cheated on me every other week.”_

_“So . . . what was the first thing that happened after you entered the bathroom? You can go ahead and go through it all if you’d like. Up to you, Ms. Earp.”_ Jessie swallowed and crossed her arms again.

 _“I walked into the bathroom and went to the handicapped stall. I had just opened the door when I felt . . . hands on my waist. I turned around and saw Champ staring at me . . . I tried to get him to let go by he just held on harder . . . he pushed me against the wall . . . he just wouldn’t stop. He kept telling me that he loved me and that he was going to make it better . . . I was screaming and he tried to shut me up by kissing me, but I was batting my head around, trying to do something . . . he was grinding on me and for some reason enjoying it . . . and then he started . . . Don’t stop it just give me a second.”_ Nicole watched tears well up in her eyes.

_“Yes, Ma’am.”_

_“Ok, I’m good. He started pushing his hand up my shirt and grabbing my . . . ya know. I couldn’t do anything, and then he brought his hands down to my shorts and tried to pull them down, but he couldn’t they were too tight . . . I still have scratches from him clawing at them.”_ The younger woman was crying at this point, and Nicole was having some trouble keeping it together herself.

_“What happened next, Ms. Earp?”_

_“Well, he used his brain, for once, and started to try and undo the button on my pants, but . . . then my hero came along.”_ The redehad paused the tape, knowing she wouldn’t be able to handle the last part again.

       “Is there more?” Jessie asked, eyebrows furrowed, noticing the abruptness of the pause.

       “Yea, but-” Jessie reached over and pressed the play button herself.

_“Sheriff’s Deputy Haught rushed in and knocked Champ out before he could do anything else to me . . . Y-you need anything else?”_

_“End of Waverly Earp’s interview.”_ The tape ended. Jessie looked over to Nicole, who was rubbing her eyes.

       “Y-you were there?” She asked, already knowing the answer. “Officer Haught, I-” She paused when she heard Nicole’s phone start ringing. 

       She dug around in her pocket and looked at the screen with a groan. “I am so sorry, I need to take this.” Jessie nodded. Nicole answered the phone, putting it on speaker on her desk as she unhooked the camera from her computer. “What, Wynonna?” She huffed.

       “Hey, Haughty. Whatcha doin?” Her voice filled the room from the phone.

       “I’m busy, what do you want?”

       “Ooo, is my baby sister getting some hot redhead boo-” Nicole quickly put the phone to her ear. Jessie stifled a laugh, eyes wide.

       “Wynonna, I am at _work_ ,” she hissed. 

       “Ok, ok sorry . . . Just wanted to let you know that Willa just got picked up from the Homestead. I don’t know by who, though.”

       “Alright, uhmmm, I know you have a tracker on Waves’ phone . . . Do you have one on her’s, too?”

       “How do you know that!?” The older Earp demanded. 

       “I saw it when I cleared her phone the other day . . . she doesn’t know, though.”

       “Oh, ok. Keep it that way. And to answer your question, yes I do.” 

       “I’ll be there in 30.” She hung up and looked to Jessie. “Sorry about that,” she muttered with a sigh.

       “It’s ok . . . so . . .” She cleared her throat. “You and Waverly?”

       She looked up her, face turning a shade of red when she saw her waggling her eyebrows. “Uh, yea,” she mumbled, kicking herself for letting Wynonna be on speaker.

       “She deserves someone to treat her right,” the brunette said with a smile, standing up and gathering her things.

       Nicole blushed again, picking up the camera and walking towards the door. “I try my best.” 

       “Oh, I can tell,” she assured, walking out the door.

       Nicole followed behind her. “Thanks, Jessie . . . I’ll, uh, I’ll keep in touch. Whenever I find out something, I’ll give you a call.”

       Jessie nodded. “Thanks, Officer. Really, it means a lot that you met with me tonight.”

       “No problem. You can pop by anytime, ok?” 

       She smiled. “Ok, I’ll keep it in mind.” She turned away with a wave.

       Nicole waved back, heading over to Nedley’s office. “She’s gonna testify,” she announced with a smile, looking up at him as she handed the camera back.

       “Finally, someone knocked some sense into her head!”

       “She actually decided to on her own,” she corrected, a little shocked still herself.

       “Oh, well, at least we’re two against one now.”

       “Yea, that’s what I was thinking . . . Hey, um, I think I might have a lead on Bobo, you mind if Dolls and I do some running to check it out?”

       Nedley looked up, wide-eyed. “Go right ahead, anything that will help us catch that son of a bitch.”

       Nicole smiled and walked towards the door. “Thanks, Nedley!” She called. Walking up to the BBD office door, she gave it a knock.

       “Enter!” Dolls called from inside. Nicole walked in and he cocked his eyebrow at her. “You don’t have to knock any more, Haught.”

       “Oh, right.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “You up for a ride?” She asked with a grin, pushing her eyebrows up.

       “For what purpose?”

       “Wynonna thinks Willa is hanging out with Bobo and she wants to spy on her . . . I thought we could use some of your fancy equipment.”

       Dolls stood up with a sigh. “Alright. Where’s she at?” Dolls asked, moving over to his black safe.

       “I dunno, Wynonna has the tracker.” Dolls grunted an understanding as he unlocked the safe, pulling out a basket of wires and various equipment. He sorted through it, pulling out 3 earpieces, 2 pairs of binoculars, and some other stuff that Nicole didn’t recognize. He then reached back in the safe, pulling out 2 looked to be military/special forces issued silenced AR’s. A small smile worked its way onto Nicole’s face as he tossed her one. She checked it over, flicking the safety on and off, pulling the magazine out and loading it back in, and aiming it at the wall. She looked back up to Dolls with a mischevious grin. “Go vest up, I want to be ready for any surprises tonight,” he ordered. She nodded and set the gun on the table, heading off to the locker room to get her bulletproof vest.

       When she walked back, she heard Nedley from inside of his office. “Nicole?”        

       She stepped in the room, still buttoning up her shirt over the white vest. “Yea?” She asked slowly, confused at him using her first name.

       “Please be careful out there. That girl of yours will knock me on my butt if you don’t come back in one piece . . . and knowing Bobo’s people that _is_ a possibility.” He swallowed some nerves audibly.

       “I know, Sheriff. I- _we’ll_ be careful, I promise.” She gave him a reassuring smile.

       “Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

       “That’s not leaving me much, Sir,” the redhead joked, giving him a wave as she left the room.

       Dolls had everything ready when she entered the BBD office again. “Ready?” He asked, looking up from the little machine he was focused on.

       “Yep,” she confirmed, walking over to him. He clipped a box to her pants and got her to feed it up her shirt so the wires wouldn’t get in the way of anything. She put the earpiece attached to the other end in her ear and they tested them out, proving they were working properly. They gathered their guns and other equipment and packed it all in Dolls’ SUV before heading towards the Homestead. 

       Wynonna was sitting on the porch when they arrived. The Deputy stepped out and walked over to her, Dolls following closely behind. “Ooo, you brought the Big Man,” she joked, elbowing her in the side, pulling back and poking her, feeling the vest underneath.

       Nicole smacked her hand away. “We are taking _precautions_ , Wynonna. And that means you are not allowed to do anything stupid, like, let’s say . . . finding Willa and rushing in like a maniac,” she said, eyeing her at the end.

       She pursed her lips. “I would _not_ do that,” she scoffed. Dolls and Haught both threw her a look. “Ok, fine, whatever, I’ll behave myself.” They looked at each other a little unsure before shrugging it off and heading back to the car.

       “Shotgun!” Wynonna hollered, running and jumping in the passenger’s side. Nicole let out an annoyed sigh, climbing in the back.

       “Where’s she at?” Dolls asked from the driver’s seat.

       Wynonna clicked around on her phone for a few seconds. “They are . . . in the middle of a field?”

       “Gimme it,” the redhead grumbled, snatching the phone out of her hands. She looked at it herself. “Hmm, they really are in the middle of a field. Head east out of here, Dolls.” He started up the vehicle and pulled away from the Homestead. Nicole gave him the directions and handed Wynonna an earpiece as they made their way to the location. He slowed to a stop when they were about 2 miles from where the tracker said she was.

       “We’re gonna go on foot the rest of the way so we don’t alert anyone. We need to have our eyes and ears open at all times, I want to get in there, scope it out, find out what we need, and haul ass back. Got it?”

       “Got it,” the girls parroted.

       “Great, let’s go.” They exited the car and Dolls grabbed the backpack of supplies from the back. Nicole grabbed her gun and handed the other to the Agent.

       “Hey! Why don’t I get a cool gun?” Wynonna pouted.

       “You’re the only one with the gun that can actually kill these things, Wynonna,” Nicole reminded her.

       “Riiight." Nicole rolled her eyes and they walked around to Dolls, who had some type of device in his hand. “What’s that?”

       “Heat sensor. Scans the area and detects body heat. It’ll show us if they have anyone staked near us that we can’t see. It’s getting pretty dark.” Wynonna did a long nod. “And I don’t see anything so I _think_ we are good to go.” They began walking, Wynonna on the left, Nicole on the right, and Dolls in the middle. Wynonna had her phone, guiding them towards the location, Dolls was scanning for Revenants, and Nicole was ready at a second’s notice with her gun.

       They were about halfway there when Dolls spotted someone on his radar. “Down!” He ordered in a whisper. He and Officer Haught immediately dropped to their stomachs, but Wynonna took her time, getting on her knees first. Dolls grabbed her arm and yanked her down.

       “Hey!” She shrieked.

       “Do you want to be spotted, Earp?” Dolls demanded, still in a whisper. Wynonna pursed her lips and he dropped his eyes to the screen. “Haught, 8 o’clock, you copy?” Nicole squinted her eyes in that direction, trying to fight the dark, but she was unable to see anyone.

       “Negative, you got goggles?” Dolls quickly unzipped the bag and pulled out a pair of night vision goggles, handing them to her. She slipped them on and looked back, now seeing the burly man leaning up against a fence about 30 yards away. “Copy,” she confirmed.

       “Can you get close and take him out?” He asked.

       “Yes, Sir.” He signaled with his hand for her to move in. She got up and carefully jogged about 15 yards before dropping down again. “Come in, Dolls.”

       “Go ahead, Haught.”

       “Where should I hit him? Like, what will keep him down the longest?”

       “Get a shot in the head and a shot in the heart, that should give us enough time to get past him.”

       “I could just go _pew pew,_ ya know,” Wynonna suggested with finger guns. Nicole rolled her eyes from her position.

       “Shut up, Earp,” Dolls groaned. “You copy, Haught?”

       “10-4, stand by.” She raised her eye to the scope, taking the shot at his heart first. He let out a groan and moved his hands there before dropping to his knees. She took a shot at both knee caps when he paused in that position and _then_ shot at his head, causing him to fall backward. If he _did_ get up from that, he’d have to crawl. “Target down. Is my 20 clear, Dolls?”

       “Affirmative, moving in.” Dolls and Wynonna stood and made their way over to Nicole, who was now standing. She noticed they were each fit with a pair of goggles now as well.

       “That’s a hell of a lot of cars over there,” she said quietly, pointing up in the distance where a gathering of 10-15 cars were sitting. She could just barely make out a building next to them. They began to walk in said direction through the fence.

       “What the hell is she doing up here?” Wynonna questioned breathlessly. Nicole shook her head, knowing whatever it was was not good. After half a mile, they could tell that the building was a house and they could hear occasional cheering coming from it. The only bodies Dolls was detecting were inside the building, so they came to the conclusion that it was a meeting of some sort. They got down when they were about 70 yards from the house, not wanting to push their luck too far. Dolls searched through his bag, pulling out another device. Nicole looked at him in question.

       “This is a high sensitivity microphone. I am going to go stick it to the house, and when I turn it on, the sound it picks up will feed through our earpieces,” he informed both of them. “Haught, I need you to watch my 20 as I go,” he handed her the heat sensor, “and alert me if anyone comes into view.”

       “Alright."

       “When do _I_ get to do something?” Wynonna whined.

       “You get to drag Fatboy back there farther away when we go back and then you can give him the ol’ rooty tooty point and shooty, how’s that sound?” Nicole smirked, clapping her on the shoulder.

       “I’m so excited,” she deadpanned. Dolls stood, getting a nod from the Officer, and made his way up to the house.

       “Come in, Haught.” She heard him barely whisper a minute later.

       “Go ahead.”

       “I’m turning it on. Tell me if you copy from your 20.”

       “10-4.” They heard a fizz roll over and then muffled talking. “Mm, negative, Dolls. Can you get it closer to the window?”

       “Stand by.” They heard the mic shut off and come on again a few seconds later. The talking was somewhat clearer now and she could see that he had put it right next to the window, so that was as good as they were going to get.

       “Affirmative, it’s decent now,” the redhead stated.

       “10-4. I’m on my way back.” Dolls returned a minute later and pulled something else out of the bag. He fiddled with the controls and the sound coming through their earpieces became clearer and less fizzy. The trio began to listen.

       “How can you be so sure?” A man’s voice asked. They all looked to each other, recognizing it as Bobo’s.

       “Because . . . _She’ll be_ too caught up in herself to worry about what I am doing,” a woman answered, easily known to them as Willa.

       “I told you!” Wynonna shrieked.

       “Shhhh!” The other two chorused.

       “And Waverly . . . well, that butch cop will certainly keep _her_ busy,” Willa’s voice said. Nicole’s eyes went wide in offense.

       “Ouch,” Wynonna muttered through her teeth. Dolls kicked her shin.

       “And how do you expect to get Peacemaker out of Wynonna’s grasp without her noticing?” Bobo asked. Wynonna brought the gun to her chest, looking down at it.

       “I’m not quite sure yet. But, I’ll have it all figured out before the party, Dear,” Willa answered. The sound of Bobo’s eerie chuckling came over their earpieces. It was followed by some incoherent whispering and the sound of a wet kiss. 

       “Did they just . . .” Dolls asked looking between the two dropped jaws on either side of him.

       “Yea,” they whispered after a few seconds. Their faces scrunched up as it continued.

       “Ewwww,” Wynonna whined. “Not Bobo, noo.” The sound ended.

       “Alright, Boys, anything else tonight?” Bobo asked. They heard no’s come from different spots around the room. “Meeting adjourned,” he chuckled. They heard the sounds of moving and they all looked at each other wide-eyed. In .2 seconds, Dolls was up, sprinting to the house to grab the microphone. When he reached it, his voice came over.

       “Run!” He hissed in a whisper. Nicole jumped up, grabbed her gun, and threw the strap over her head. She bobbled one of the devices to Wynonna and took the other herself.

       “Get the backpack!” She screeched to Dolls quietly.

       “Copy! Go!” She and Wynonna took off, pedaling across the lot back towards the car. Dolls caught up to them within 20 seconds and they tossed him the devices they had picked up. “Get that guy so he doesn’t talk! Shoot him and get to the car!” He hollered as he continued on ahead of them. Earp and Haught looked at each other as they sprinted faster.

       Nicole could hear Wynonna struggling after a few minutes. “C’mon, Earp, I’ll let you ride my Harley if we get out of here!” She called in encouragement.

       Wynonna scoffed. “ _IF_ we get out of here?!?!”

       “Exactly!” They neared the fence a minute or two later and saw the Revenant army crawling up the fence line. “Grab an arm,” Nicole said when they came to a stop.

       “This is not gonna be fun,” Wynonna sighed, looking down at the large man. They flipped him and began to drag him behind them as they took off again. He began to gripe and groan as his butt dragged quickly across the ground, hollering louder after about a minute.

       “Did his pants just come off?!” Nicole asked through pants, looking towards Wynonna, who looked back at the man.

       “Aw, _gross_ , dude! Ever heard of a razor!?” Nicole scrunched her eyes together, glad that she had decided _not_ to look. “When Dolls said we would be hauling ass this is _definitely not_  what I had pictured!”

       They continued on until the fence was nothing but a small line. “Ok, stop,” Nicole wheezed. They came to a halt. She turned to make sure they were far out of sight of the house. “Do . . . do your thing.” Wynonna dropped to her knees, gulping at the air.

       “Rest in peace, Hairy,” she breathed, looking down at the still groaning man. He fell into the fiery hole in the Earth and Wynonna stood up on her jellified legs.

       “C’mon.” Nicole took off, seeing the SUV slowly driving towards them in the distance. Dolls stopped the car and Nicole drug herself in the front seat. She rolled her window down. “Let’s go, Earp!” She called to the struggling Wynonna. She got herself in the car a few seconds later and Dolls peeled away from the location.

       “You two need to run more,” he chuckled at the groans and gasps coming from the two girls.

       “Shut up,” they snapped back.  

 

**___**

 

       Waverly’s eyes opened to darkness. She blinked confusedly a few times before feeling around on the bed for her phone. With a groan, she rolled over and flicked the light on the nightstand on, squeezing her eyes shut as the new light burned into them. She rubbed them with her fists and threw her legs over the side of the bed, looking downwards. “Still naked,” she mumbled to herself. “And _really_ have to pee.” She stood up and stretched, popping almost every single bone in her body. Looking around the room with a yawn, she spotted her phone on the floor near the edge of the bed. She picked it up and checked the time. It was 11:02 PM. She stumbled over to the bathroom, did her business, and went to the mirror after, rubbing some water on her face. When she removed her hands and blinked away the water, she noticed black on her chest, quickly realizing it was pen. She rolled her eyes with a tired grin as she read the word and trudged back to the bedroom. Red caught the corner of her eye, so she looked at it and picked up the hoodie with a smile, sorting through the clothes Nicole had left her. She threw them on, pulling the hood onto her head and tying the shorts to fit her. She knew she was basically sleepwalking, so she climbed back into bed, pulling the covers over her body, and shut the light back off.

 

**___**

 

       “Do you people have _any_ faith in me?” Wynonna asked, climbing out of the car.

       “Not very much, no,” Nicole smirked from the window.

       “I’m not gonna say anything! I’ll just give her dirty looks when she’s not looking.”

       Nicole and Dolls rolled their eyes. “I need you to get Doc, Waverly, and yourself to the station by 9 tomorrow morning. We have a lot to talk about,” Dolls called to her from the driver’s seat.

       Nicole cleared her throat. “Uh, Waverly’s at my house,” she mumbled, glancing over to Dolls.

       “Oh . . . Well, get Doc there, Wynonna.”

       “Will do. Night, Fuckers,” Wynonna called as she walked up to the house.

       “Night, Earp,” the other two called. Dolls pulled away from the Homestead and headed back to the station.

       The duo climbed out when they arrived and they gathered their gear to put back in the safe. Nicole bid farewell to Dolls as he left for the night and went off to her office to work on some paperwork.

       Nedley popped in at about 12 AM. “How’d it go, Haught?”

       She removed her earbuds and looked up at him with tired eyes. “We found out Willa is working with Bobo,” She replied flatly.

       The Sheriff sighed deeply. “Wh-why would she do that?”

       “Her and Bobo are . . . _together_.”

       Nedley blinked at her for a second. “Jesus Christ on a bike,” he grumbled as he walked out of the room. Nicole pulled her hat off and tossed it onto her desk, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her eyes. She heard her radio fizz, so she unhooked it from her shirt, waiting for the voice to follow.

       “All units respond, shots fired at Shorty’s,” the dispatcher called over.

       Nicole grabbed her hat aggressively from the corner of her desk and stood up. “God fucking dammit, tonight of all fucking nights,” she cursed under her breath before bringing the radio to her face and heading out the doors. “10-4, Haught en route, 5 minutes out.” She hopped into her car and sped out, lights and sirens blaring. She could hear Nedley following right behind her.

       Pulling up to Shorty’s, she could see a handful of people running out of the building. She jammed her car in park and hopped out, removing the gun from her holster. “What all do we know?” She asked Nedley when he walked up beside her.

       “It's Tucker . . . Tucker Gardner,” Nedley said with a worried look in his eye.

       Nicole furrowed her brow. “Ok. Who’s that?”

       Nedley dropped his glance. “I’ll give you my unprofessional opinion of the kid. He’s a pervert, not right in the head, and has a scary obsession with your girlfriend.” Nicole’s eyes widened. “It’s not like him to do-” He stopped when his phone began to ring. She noticed it was an unknown number. “Sheriff Nedley.” She watched his face grow cold when the voice on the other end answered him. “Tucker, what are you doing, son?” He put the phone on speaker and held a finger to his lips.

       “I’m getting what I want,” he answered.

       “Which is what?”

       “Well, _Sheriff_ , I’m going to need you to send that redheaded cop in here that thinks she can take _my_ Waverly away from me.” Nicole clenched her jaw. “She must be unarmed and unable to contact anyone. And if I find out she _does_ have anything of the sorts, it's not going to be pretty.” Tucker hung up the phone.

       The Officer looked over to her boss wide-eyed. “Sheriff-”

       He cut her off by placing his hands on her shoulders. “Haught, I don’t want you to go in there alone as much as you don’t . . . but I know that he does not take no for an answer.”

       Nicole nodded. She knew there was no other way to save the people in there from this kid. “Ok. Ok, um . . .” She dug around in her pocket for a few seconds, pulling her keys out. “I need you to get someone to drive to my house to get Waverly. I don’t want her there by herself, who knows what else he has planned.” She handed him the keys, showing him which one what was the house key. “Put a rush on it. Please, Sir.”

       Nedley grabbed her hand that was holding out the keys. “We’ll get her, Nicole,” he assured. “Go.” She nodded and handed Nedley her gun, taser, phone, and radio. She took a deep breath and started walking towards the building.

       She slowly opened the door with her hands up. “Tucker . . . it's Officer Haught,” she announced before walking into the bar cautiously. She took in the scene. He had everyone sitting against the wall and was pacing back and forth nervously with a pistol in his hand. Gus and Shorty were both there. He spun around, a smirk working it's way up his face. The tall, lanky boy made his way over to her. He was getting too close for her liking. “Hey now. I came in here on my own will. I’d prefer you to stay right there, Bud.” She gave him a warning look, but he kept walking. 

       “I have to pat you down to make sure you don’t have anything on you, Officer,” he informed.

       She took a step back, arms still in the air. “I can assure you that I have _absolutely_ _nothing_ on me.”

       He was now a couple of inches in front of her. She could smell body odor and alcohol on his person. “And why would I believe that?” He tipped his head sideways.

       “Do you _really_ think I would risk the safety of the 20 people in here by doing something _stupid_ like that?” She asked, lifting her eyebrows. She wasn’t afraid of him, not the slightest bit. Before she walked in, she was, but now that she had a read on him, she didn’t see him as a big threat. She could see that behind the wall of cockiness he put up there was fear.

       “I don’t know, let’s find out.” He had a look in his eyes that she did _not_ like. She knew that he knew she didn’t have anything on her. But like Nedley said, he was a pervert. Any chance he got to feel up on a girl he was going to take. He took a step back from her and traced his eyes up and down her body. She stared straight forward, gritting her teeth through a clenched jaw. He stuck his gun in the back of his pants and moved forward again. She heard a few whispers from around the room and was sure they knew just as much as she did what he was going to try and do here. He started at her shoulders. He has a pretty firm grip as he slid his hands down her arms. He slid them back up and moved them down her sides, stopping at her hips. He moved them around her front and slid them up her stomach and over her chest, lingering there for a few seconds too long, even though she was still wearing her vest. She shifted her glance to his face and tipped her head at him. He smirked and grabbed her shoulder, turning her around. He slid his hands down her back and around the back of her waist, moving down to her butt. She was trying to keep her breathing steady through her anger, but she knew he heard the exhale she let out because he quickly got down on a knee and turned her back around. He started at the bottom of each leg and moved his hand up each side to about mid-thigh. He did it to the other leg and then moved one hand to the outside of her thigh and put on one on the inside, slowly moving his hand up. He was getting awful close to the inner bend of her pants and she was _not_ letting him get that far.

       “Gardner, if you move that _fucking_ hand one centimeter higher, I will rip it off,” she snapped, still looking forward. He let out a chuckle and stood up, obviously proud of himself. “What do you want from me?” She asked in a much calmer tone. He pulled the gun out from his pants and scratched his cheek with the barrel, crossing his arms.

       “I’ve heard rumors about you,” he said simply.

       “Nice, I’ve heard quite a few about you as well.” He took a step closer to her and situated his gun to point at her, resting it on the top of his other arm.

       She glanced down at it and back up at him, face unaffected. “I’ve heard that you and Waverly are . . . _very good friends_.”

       Nicole’s lip twitched hearing him say her name. _She_ took a step towards him this time, leaving their faces inches apart again. “Don’t you even say her name,” she fumed deeply. “Our personal life is none of your business.”

       He scoffed and pushed her back by shoving the gun in between her collarbones. “It is every right _my_ business. _You_ are confusing her. She’s not a _lesbian_ or whatever you are trying to turn her into.”

       “I am not trying to turn her into anything. She makes all of her decisions for herself. And you must respect that. You cannot control what she does and does not do.” Tucker let out a little laugh.

       “But, I can control _who_ she does and does not do,” he smirked.

       Nicole inhaled deeply. “You better watch your mouth,” she growled, quickly taking a breath in order to calm herself down. She didn't want to do anything she would regret.

       “Or what?” He traced the gun down the bridge of her nose. “What’re you gonna do about it?”

       She had the skills to snatch that gun out of his hands then and there, but she didn’t. She couldn’t risk it. If it were just him and her, she would have. But, she wouldn’t do it with other lives at stake. She decided to change the subject. “Why are you doing this? You could have confronted me _without_ holding innocent people hostage.”

       He shook his head and turned around, walking in the other direction before quickly snapping back around walking back towards her. “I guess I can tell you now. No one in here is able to contact anyone .  . . I’ve been following you two for the past few days. I was there during your little _explosion_ at the pizzeria. I was there when you watched the sunset afterward. I was there when you went to the hospital and I was even there at the movies yesterday. I know she went home with you. And I know she is _still_ at your house . . . Well, maybe not _still_ ,” he said with an evil grin. He moved forward and pressed the gun to her forehead. “This was a distraction, Officer. I needed to get you and the whole calvary here so my people could . . . _gather my prize_.” Nicole’s fist was balled and she was trembling with anger. Her face was almost purple and it took every ounce of control in her body not to charge at the boy in front of her. She had no clue if whoever Nedley sent had gotten there in time to save the love of her life. 

 

**\-  -  -**

 

       The second Nicole had turned away towards Shorty’s, Nedley called the fastest, most reliable person to go to fetch Waverly that he could think of.

       “Nedley? What’s wrong?”

       “Xavier. I need you at Shorty’s right now. I’ll explain when you get here.” He hung up the phone.

       Somehow, in less than 5 minutes, Dolls skidded into the Shorty’s parking lot and parked next to Nedley’s vehicle. He jumped out of his car and rushed up to him. “What’s the situation?”

       “Haught’s in there unarmed. Tucker Gardner _is_ armed and has hostages. He requested her. You need to go to her house and-”

       Dolls took the key from his hand and was already walking back to his car. “Pick up Waverly before someone else gets to her. I’m on it!” He floored his SUV in the direction of Haught’s house, knowing that Tucker always had something else up his sleeve when it came to his schemes.

       Skidding to a stop, he pulled his pistol out of the holster and bucked it up to the front door. Thankfully, it was still locked and there were no signs of forced entry. He still was taking precautions, though. He carefully unlocked the door and entered the house. He did a sweep of the downstairs before making his way to her bedroom. He saw a lump of blankets on the corner of the bed. He holstered his gun and walked up to her, shaking her shoulder.

       “Waverly . . . Waverly, wake up.”

       Her eyes fluttered open slightly. “Whattt?” She complained before realizing it was not Nicole waking her up. She sat up quickly. “Dolls? What’s wrong?” 

       “We need to go. Now.”

       She blinked the sleep away. “What? Why- Dolls, where is Nicole? Is she ok?” She flung the blankets off her body and jumped out of the bed. “Dolls?! Where is she!?”

       He grabbed her arm. “Waverly! Nicole is fine. I’ll explain in the car. We need to _go_. Get some shoes on.” She let out a whine and scoured the dark room for her shoes. She found them a few seconds later and slipped them on.

       They both headed out to the car and Dolls skidded away from the house. “What is happening?!” She asked for the 5th time since she had woken up.

       Dolls took a breath. “Tucker Gardner is armed and holding hostages in Shorty’s. He requested Nicole unarmed and she went in so. We don’t know what is going on, but she wanted someone to come and get you just in case it was a distraction plot.”

       Waverly’s eyes shot out of her head. She shifted her body to Dolls and sputtered out a few sounds. “MY GIRLFRIEND IS _ALONE_ WITH NO GUN WITH THE PSYCHO WHO THINKS I AM GOING TO MARRY HIM?!?!?!” She shrieked before smacking him on the arm.

       “ _Waverly_ , she _had_ to go in there. It was a matter of life and death for the hostages if she didn't.”

       She brought her legs up criss-cross on the seat and dropped her head. Her eyes caught a hint of shine under the glovebox. She suddenly knew exactly what she was going to do when they arrived.        

       Dolls put the car in park and stepped out of the car. She heard his footsteps going around the back of the car so she took her chance. She felt down under the glove box and pulled the gun off of the rack. It was a black sawed-off shotgun. With a cold glare towards those double doors, she jumped out of the car and took off in a sprint. By the Dolls caught the sight of her, she was already halfway there. It was no use for him to try to catch her.

       She kicked one of the doors in and pumped the gun. “Alright, you Shit Ticket!” She met a very red Nicole and a _now_ very happy Tucker’s stare. She aimed the gun at him. “Hands off my girlfriend!” The boy was no longer happy. He took the gun off of Nicole’s forehead and started to walk towards her. Nicole didn’t know whether to be terrified or relieved that she was here. Waverly looked towards the people sitting on the wall. “All of you. Out.” She flicked her head towards the doors. Tucker tried to stop them, but she pushed the gun against his chest. The herd of people ran out the door, only two remaining being Shorty and Gus. Gus walked over to the edge of the bar and grabbed her shotgun. Shorty took a revolver and pistol out of a box under the bar. The newly armed duo walked over to them and Shorty handed Nicole the pistol.

       She smirked and kicked a chair over from under the tables. It slid directly under his butt. “Sit.” She demanded, cocking the gun. The boy was shaking like a leaf at this point. He had 4 guns pointed in his direction with some very angry people holding their finger’s on the triggers. “Drop your gun.” He hesitated for a second. “Now,” the Officer growled. He quickly dropped it and Shorty kicked it away. Nicole walked up to him and handcuffed his hands behind the chair. She looked over to Waverly with a dimpled smile. “Go ahead, Baby.”

       Waverly walked closer to him and shoved the gun against his neck. “You better cough up an explanation right now before I shove this gun down your throat and blow your guts out your ass.” Nicole, Gus, and Shorty’s eyes widened at that.

       “Waverly . . . I did this for you  . . . for us!” He exclaimed.

       “There is _no_ and _never_ will be an _us_ , Tucker!”

       He shifted his glance to Nicole but quickly looked back at her. “She’s confusing you, Waverly. What she is trying to make you be is . . . it's wrong!”

       Waverly put more pressure on the barrel against his neck. “What’d you just say?” She snarled.

       Tucker began to struggle in his seat. “Ow, Waverly! You aren’t supposed to be mad at me!”

       Gus took a step forward. “You think she’s mad now?” Tucker and Waverly cocked an eyebrow at her. She looked towards the brunette. “This nutsack decided to have a field day _patting down_ your Officer.”

       The brunette snapped her head to Nicole. “He _what_!?!”

       Nicole’s mouth dropped open a little and her eyes went wide. “Uhhh-”

       Waverly looked towards Tucker with a snarl and kicked him in the chest, sending the chair toppling over. She climbed on top of him and put a knee in his chest, gripping his cheeks with her free hand. “You _motherfucker_!” She hissed before punching him. “From this point on, if you even _look_ in her direction I will rip your goddamn eyeballs out! Do I make myself clear?” He nodded his head rapidly. “And whenever you get out of that box they are going to put you in, don’t think you will be off the hook. I have a whole army of people that will _hunt you down to make sure your life is a_ __l_ iving hell_.” She removed her nails from his cheeks, seeing the small bleeding indents she left. She stood up, drilling her fist into his face him one more time, and looked to Nicole with a smirk. She licked her lips and walked towards him, pulling the chair up on its legs. Tucker was breathing heavy, looking towards the right, away from Nicole’s face.

       She got within an inch of his face and rested her hands on his knees. “You gonna look at me, Tough Guy?” She asked deeply.

       “No,” he squeaked.

       “No, what?”

       “No, Ma’am.”

       “What’s my name, Tucker?” She asked again.

       “No, Officer Haught.”

       “It’s _Sheriff’s Deputy_ _Haught_ ,” she growled. “And don’t you forget it.” She stood up straight and turned around before quickly pivoting back. “Oh, yea, one more thing.” She drew back and nailed him with an uppercut to the jaw, sending the chair sideways. “Just for good measure,” she smirked before turning back to the group. “Would anyone else like a moment with him?”

       “I just want his ass out of my bar,” Shorty huffed. Nicole nodded and picked his chair up for the second time. She pulled him up on his feet by his shoulders and walked him out of the bar, reading off his rights.

       “Put ‘em in my car, I’ll take him up there,” Nedley offered when the Deputy reached him.

       “Yes, Sir.” 

       “Good work, Haught.” He clapped her shoulder with a nod.

       “Thank you, Sheriff.” She shoved Tucker in the car and walked back over to her boss. “I’ll fill out the paperwork when I head back,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

       “No you won’t. You are gonna head home and get some sleep. I don’t need my deputies falling asleep on me.”

       “No . . . I’m fine, Nedley-”

       “Haught, that’s an order.” She pursed her lips. “I think someone wants to talk to you,” he said, gesturing to Waverly, who was standing a few cars over. She looked to have just given the gun back to Dolls and was now nonchalantly glancing in her direction every so often.

       “Have a good night.” She tipped her hat at him and walked in her direction. It took a few seconds, but she eventually looked over to see Nicole walking towards her, still placing all of her equipment back in her belt. She finished just in time to brace herself and catch Waverly when she jumped into her arms. She quickly moved her hands under her thighs and the brunette cupped her cheeks, giving her a deep kiss. “Waves, I’m in uniform,” Nicole mumbled when she pulled back.

       Waverly squished her cheeks together with the palms of her hands. “I don’t care! I thought he was gonna kill you, Nic!” 

       “He doesn’t have the balls to actually kill anyone,” she said through squished lips, raising her eyebrows.

       Waverly dropped her hands to her upper arms. “Do you know how _terrifying_ it is to be woken up by Dolls at 1 am saying that I’m not safe and that we needed to leave immediately!? And he wouldn’t tell me what was happening or where you were until we got in the car and I-”

       Nicole cut her off when she saw tears gather in her eyes. “Baby . . . I’m ok, ain’t I?” She asked with a reassurning smile.

       Waverly let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Yea, but . . .” She ended her sentence with a whine and wrapped her arms around the redhead’s neck and nuzzled her face into her shoulder.

       “Ya know, carrying you around all day long is really one of the only upper arm exercises I can do right now, so thanks for that,” Nicole chuckled as she walked them over to her cruiser. Waverly leaned back and smiled at her when Nicole reached down and opened her door. She ran her hands along her messed up collar, but squinted her eyes at her, realizing that she was buttoned all the way up. She yanked open the top four buttons. “What are you-”

       “Why do you have a vest on?” Waverly asked demandingly as she poked her finger into it.

       “Because there was a shooter at Shorty’s?” She responded slowly.

       “So, you are telling me you got the call for it and _then_ took the time to go put this on before you left the station?”

       “Well-”

       Waverly unhooked her legs from behind her and Nicole set her down. “Nedley!” The Sheriff looked over to them at the sound of his name. Waverly called him over with her finger.

       “Yes?”

       “Do _you_ have a vest on?” She asked, crossing her arms and tipping her head.

       “Uh, no, I do not. It was an urgent call, so I wanted to leave immediately.”

       Waverly looked over at Nicole wide-eyed. “Oooh, is that so?”

       “Waves, we are go-”

       “Nedley, why does this numbnut have _her_ vest on then?”

       “She went with Dolls to-”

       “Nedley,” Nicole said through her teeth. She turned to Waverly. “If you would have let me finish,  _Detective_ , I would have told you that I am waiting to discuss it with you and the rest of BBD _tomorrow_.”

       “Oh,” she mumbled.

       Nicole rolled her eyes. “Get in the car,” she sighed. Waverly climbed in and Nicole shut her door. “Night, Nedley.”

       “Night, Haught,” he responded as he walked to his own cruiser. Nicole climbed in the other side and pulled away from Shorty’s.

       “I’m sorry,” Waverly mumbled after a few minutes.

       “For what? Embarrassing me in front of my boss?” The redhead snapped a little too harshly, startling her a little bit. She let out a breath and looked over to her, moving her hand to her thigh. “Sorry, I just-”

       “No . . . I shouldn’t have done that. I just thought you were-”

       “I told you I’d never lie to you, Wave.”

       “I know . . . I’m sorry,” she said quietly, wrapping her arms around Nicole’s and leaning her head on her.

       “It’s ok.”

       They pulled up in front of her house a few minutes later and Nicole eyed her front door that was wide open. “Did ya’ll leave my door open?” Nicole asked, unhooking her holster already.

       “No. Dolls locked it when we left.”

       The redhead grumbled some curses under her breath. “You see this button?” She asked, pointing to a button on the roof of the car. Waverly nodded. “You are going to stay right here with all the doors locked. And if anyone comes up to the car, you press it, and my sirens will start blaring. I’m gonna go make sure the goons Tucker had sent here are gone.”

       “He told you he was?”

       Nicole clenched her jaw, thinking back to what _else_ he had informed her about. “Yep.” She gave Waverly a kiss and opened her door.

       “Be careful,” she warned, gripping her arm. 

       “I will.” She gave the brunette one more kiss before heading inside to do a sweep of the house. Waverly pulled her feet up onto the seat and hugged her legs to her chest. She had no clue how many people could be in there.

       One minute passed. Then two minutes passed. And Nicole still hadn’t come back. She had her face buried in knees and was hoping and praying she didn’t hear gunshots.

       Nicole walked out of the house after clearing every single room. Whoever was in there had obviously searched through everything, but they hadn’t _completely_ trashed it and it didn’t look like anything was stolen. As she neared the car she saw Waverly curled up on the seat. She walked up to the door and started saying her name over and over, but she couldn’t hear her for some reason. She gave the window a knock and Waverly screamed bloody murder before realizing it was her girlfriend. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. “Jesus _Christ_ , Nicole!” She breathed, grabbing onto her arms that were covering half her face.

       The Officer brought her hands down and Waverly got out of the car. “I am _so_ sorry!” She said, holding down a laugh.

       “It’s not funny! You scared me!”

       Nicole bit the inside of her lip. “Noo, it's not funny. I’m not laughing,” she smirked.

       Waverly gave her a shove. “I don’t like you sometimes,” she mumbled, crossing her arms. There was a small smile on her lips as they walked into the house. But her mouth dropped open as she traced her eyes around the living room. There was crap thrown around everywhere. “Nic . . .” She trailed off.

       “It’ll clean up. It’s ok, Waves.”

       Sge looked up at her. “But, it’s my fau-”

       Nicole pinched her lips closed. “This is _not_ your fault at all. Ok?” Waverly nodded and she let go of her lips. “I know you’ve been asleep since . . . _earlier_ , so if your not tired you can just do whatever. But I am literally gonna pass out here pretty soon, so I’m gonna go sleep. We have to be at the station by 9 tomorrow.” Nicole was working on unbuttoning her shirt as she spoke.

       “I could sleep a little more,” Waverly admitted with a timely yawn as they walked into the bedroom.

       The redhead flipped the light on and tossed her shirt into the hamper. “Mk,” she mumbled as she un-velcroed her vest.

       Waverly plopped herself on the bed. “I see why you wear these now. They're really frickin comfy.”

       Nicole turned her head to look at her as she danced out of her khakis. “Wear what?” Waverly snapped the elastic of her underwear. “Oh. Yea, I know.” She flipped the light off and crawled under the blankets next to the brunette. “I don’t have the energy to change, so you’re gonna have to deal with this,” she slurred tiredly, gesturing to her just bra and underwear.

       “Oh no!” Waverly mock complained. Nicole smacked her arm, getting a laugh out of both of them. She scooted herself closer to the redhead. “Night, Babe, love you,” she mumbled into her neck.

       “Mm, love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I was Nicole, I think I would need to sleep for a whole day to recover from that hell of a night. 
> 
> First off, all of you thought the Jessie thing was going to be bad! Surprise, she isn't a bitch like the rest of the women seem to be in the area! I added the tape audio in, so if that was annoying to have to read again, sorry...
> 
> Secondly, you are nasty Willa. That is just...no. I wonder what the team's plan is gonna be to deal with that?
> 
> ThiRD, FRICKING WAVERLY AND NICOLE POWER COUPLING IT UP AND OWNING TUCKER, HELL YEA!
> 
> Ok, I think I'm done. Hope you liked it as much as I liked writing this one!
> 
> Tell me what you think below! And correct me if I made any mistakes cause it is most likely :)


	26. Tell Her I'm Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly finds something on Nicole's phone that makes her question her faithfulness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, ya'll!
> 
> It might take me a little longer to get the next chapter up. I'm in a bit of a writer's block again. 
> 
> I ended up writing a chapter for a later part of this story and it turned out really good I think. It was the only thing I could think of to write about.
> 
> Anywho, I hope you guys enjoy this one!

       Nicole was awoken by Waverly smacking her repeatedly. She bat at her hand and pulled the blanket over her head. “Oww! Whatttt, Waves?”

       Waverly ripped the blankets down and shoved a phone in her face. “Nicole, who the _fuck_ is this?!” She demanded, smacking her one more time. Nicole grabbed the phone, realizing it was her own, and read the text message.  

 

**\-  -  -**

 

       Waverly’s eyes blinked open at about 4 AM. No matter how much she wanted to fall back asleep snuggled up to her girlfriend, her body said she had had enough. She stayed with the warmth of Nicole for a few more minutes before sliding out from underneath her arm and wandering out of the room. If she was going to be up 5 hours before they needed to leave, she wanted to make herself useful. She put a pot of coffee on for herself and closed the bedroom door so she could turn some lights on without disturbing Nicole. Realizing that if she was going to be cleaning that she needed music, she headed back silently into the room. She pulled her earbuds out of her bag and picked up her phone, realizing it was on 3%. With a groan, she began to walk back out, but she spotted Nicole’s that happened to be on the charger. Figuring she wouldn’t care if she used it, she plugged her earbuds in and found one of her playlists to listen to.

       The brunette worked her way around the house, cleaning up the mess that the intruders had made in every room. Within 2 hours, she had made every room spotless. It was only 6 and she didn’t want to wake Nicole up until 8. She decided to do the other thing she had already discussed with Nicole: Laundry. During her cleaning, she had found the redhead’s laundry room. She gathered the hamper in the bathroom and the one in the bedroom and headed off towards the washing machine.

       If there was one thing that Waverly noticed while listening to Nicole’s playlist, it was that she might have had a small obsession with Fall Out Boy. There were at least 200 songs on this playlist and out of every three that played, one was from them. She didn’t mind, though. The band was starting to grow on her, if she was honest.

       An hour and a half later, she was on her second load. Nicole’s phone buzzed in her pocket, so she absentmindedly pulled it out to check it, not giving a thought to the fact that it wasn’t her phone. The empty laundry basket that she was taking back to the bathroom slipped from her hand as she read the text.

 

**Jessie: Thanks again for last night. I know it wasn’t easy for you, being with Waverly and all, but I’m happy you were able to pull through for me. Hope to see you again soon!**

 

       She probably read it over and over again 20 times, trying to understand one thing: Why?

       Why was some Jessie girl texting her girlfriend? Why did said Jessie girl know about her and Nicole being together? Why was she thanking her for last night? Why was she happy to see her again soon? But, one thought hit Waverly like a ton of bricks: Why was Nicole cheating on her?

       Obviously that is what she was referring to. What else wouldn’t be easy for Nicole to do because she was in a relationship? And what would make her hope to see her again? The anger of it all was bubbling up in her chest. She was squeezing her fist so hard she was sure she drew blood. She yanked the earbuds out of her ears and ripped it out of the phone, slamming the cord down on the sink in the bathroom. The fiery brunette stomped to Nicole’s room, needing an explanation.

 

**\-  -  -**

 

       Nicole read it over a few times. She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she looked up to her girlfriend. She pursed her lips and sighed. “Waves, I was gonna tell you about this today.”

       Waverly’s eyes widened and she tipped her head at her. “Oh, yes, _please_ Nicole. Explain to me why you’re cheating on me. I’d love to hear it,” she snapped.

       Nicole sat back a bit at that. Her eyebrows drew together and her mouth fell open in a confused stare. “Wha- Waverly, I-I’m not _cheating_ on you. Why in the world would you think that?” She asked with the same look on her face.

       Waverly snatched the phone back out of her hands and began to read the text aloud. “Thanks again for _last night_ . . . I know it wasn’t easy for you, _being with Waverly and all_ . . . I hope to _see you again soon_ .” She emphasized on some bits, casting her glare up to Nicole’s face as she said it. “This Jessie girl _really_ makes it sound like you are, Nicole!” She saw tears forming along her lower lids. She realized now that from an outsider’s perspective it could have sounded _kinda_ bad.

       “How many Jessies do you know, Waves?” She asked calmly, resting her arm on her knee and laying her head on her fist.

       Waverly cocked an eyebrow at the weird question. “One . . .” She answered slowly.

       Nicole nodded. “And what is her name?”

       “Jessie Reyes,” she responded. She watched the gears turn in her head as she looked down at the message again, watching them all fit together after a few seconds. She met the redhead’s eyes again, mouth dropped open and a pained look in her eyes. She tossed the phone on the bed and plowed Nicole over, strangling her with her arms around her neck. “Oh, thank God!” She gasped, showering her face in kisses.

       “I would _never_ cheat on you, Babe, I really hope you realize that. I’m not throwing around I love you for fun,” the redhead groaned, trying to get some air.

       “I don’t know what I was thinking . . . I guess I am just used to that because of-”

       “ _And_ that’s why I am here to treat you like the absolute _queen_ that you are.” Waverly sat up quickly, bringing her hands over her face. Nicole sat herself up in front of her and touched one of her arms. “Wave?” The brunette brought her hands down, clapping them on her thighs, tears making their way down her face.

       “I am such a horrible girlfriend! Last night I thought you were lying to me! And _now_ I accuse you of cheating on me! I’m so sorry, Nic . . .” She trailed off, babbling things Nicole did not want to listen to. 

       “Waverly Earp, you better stop that right now, I don’t want to hear it!” Waverly stopped her ramble and looked towards her cautiously. The redhead moved her hand to her cheek. “I totally understand why you have the tendencies to jump right to those conclusions. That used to be the norm for you, I get it. The only reason I got mad last night was because I was tired and still upset about the Tucker thing. In no way are you a horrible girlfriend. You’re the best I could ever ask for, Waves,” she admitted with a smile.

       Waverly nuzzled her head into her hand. “Ok,” she breathed. “But, now I have to make it up to you . . .” She sat up and pointed her finger at the redhead. “I am taking you on a date tonight and you will not complain one bit, got it?”

       “But Waves-”

       “What did I just say?!”

       Nicole pursed her lips. “Fine,” she grumbled, picking her phone up from the edge of the bed where Waverly threw it. It was 7:42. “Let me text back my _side chick_ ,” she joked, getting a slap from the brunette.  

 

**Officer Haught: No problem. Like I said, you will be one of the first to know if I learn anything new.**

 

       “What’d she want anyway?” She asked. “Like, why did she come to you about it?”

       “I don’t know why she wanted to talk to me specifically, _but_ she requested a meeting with me. She just asked if it was true cause she had heard something from Chrissy and I told her it was. Then she told me she wanted to testify with you.”

       Waverly’s eyebrows went up. “Really?”

       Nicole nodded with a smile. “It was kinda weird though. She wanted to watch your tape.” Nicole laid back down and Waverly rested her head on her stomach, tracing patterns along her bare skin.

       “Hmm . . . I feel like if I was in her position I would want to, too. Just to see how similar our experiences were, ya know?”

       The redhead hadn’t really thought about it like that. “Yea, that makes sense . . . Anyway, Nedley said I could let her watch it so she did . . . and then Wynonna called. I made the horrible mistake of leaving her on speaker as I unhooked the camera and when I told her I was busy, she asked- What was it, it was like . . . “Is my baby sister getting some hot redhead booty?””

       Waverly covered her face with her hands. “Oh jeez! And she heard it?”

       She laughed. “Yes! And when finally hung up, Jessie was like, “You and Wavesssss” . . . I don’t think I have ever blushed harder, it was horrible.”

       “You poor thing,” Waverly consoled sarcastically.

       The Deputy rolled her eyes. “ _You poor thing_ ,” she mocked, wiggling her fingers around on the brunette’s stomach, making her spaz around for a few seconds.

       “Oh, you wanna go there?! I see how it is.” Waverly sat up quickly and ran her fingers up and down Nicole’s sides. She sprung off the bed and Waverly jumped off right after her. They circled around the room for a few seconds. “Come at me, Bitch,” Waverly teased.

       “Oh yea?” Nicole smirked. She ran at her, throwing her over her shoulder.

       “Noooo!”

       “You asked for it!” She exclaimed as she made her way into the living room. She tossed her onto the couch and straddled her lap, but paused, looking around the room. “Hey, you cleaned.”

       “I had nothing better to do at 4 AM,” she shrugged.

       “Aw, thank you, Baby,” Nicole cooed, leaning down and kissing around her face.

       Waverly giggled. “ _And_ I did your laundry, so guess what that means?”

       She let out a dramatic groan. “Do I have to wear it?”

       Waverly gave her a look. “You are getting surgery in _four_ days, Nicole, you’re wearing your sling.”

       “Fineee,” she sighed, crawling off her lap. “I need to shower. We gotta leave soon.”

       Waverly smirked as she got up off the couch. “Well, I need to shower, too. And . . . We wouldn’t want to waste water, right?” She asked, tracing her finger down Nicole’s stomach.

       “I’m all about saving the Earth,” she agreed. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole pulled into the Homestead driveway. “Chop, chop. Go change and get your butt back out here! We’re gonna be late!” Waverly hopped out of the car and jogged inside to her bedroom. She threw her bag on her bed to deal with later and quickly sorted through her closet, pulling out a jean jacket, a black short sleeved crop top, and some ripped white skinny jeans. She shoved her feet into a pair of Converse and dashed back out the door, sliding back in the car. Nicole looked her over with pursed lips.

       “What?” Waverly asked.

       “I hate you,” she mumbled as they pulled away.

       “Why?”

       “I don’t understand how you can look so gorgeous without even trying,” she sighed, shaking her head. Waverly blushed and smacked her with the back of her hand.

       They arrived at the station at 9:03, flying out of the car and rushing inside. “Ok, we’re here!” Nicole announced as she pushed the door open, both stepping in the room and observing the 3 pairs of annoyed eyes on them. 

       “I don’t see how you two can be later than _Wynonna,_ ” Dolls grumbled, typing away on his laptop.

       “Hey!” Wynonna complained. Nicole and Waverly took their seats around the table.

       “Ok, let’s get started.” Dolls stood up and walked to the head of the table. “Wynonna, you want to start it off?”

       She nodded. “So, yesterday, I caught Willa up by the fence talking to Bobo, so I asked Haught Pants if she wanted to help me spy on her that night because Willa said she was going out.”

       “I agreed and got a call from Wynonna later saying Willa had left, so Dolls and I loaded up some gear and headed out to the Homestead to pick her up.” She looked to Dolls.

       “Wynonna had put a tracker on her phone, so we were able to let it lead us to where she was at. It seemed to be in the middle of a field, so we stopped 2 miles out to make sure we would enter unnoticed and started walking towards the location. It was too dark to be able to see that far ahead of us, so I was using a heat scanner to scan around for Revenants. We were about a mile in when I spotted one, so we dropped and Officer Haught successfully moved in and took him out cleanly. We continued on and stopped about 70 yards from the house. We used a microphone to listen to the meeting that was happening inside. I placed it on the house and when I got back, Willa and Bobo were talking about Wynonna and Waverly not noticing something at the party. Bobo then brought up the question of how she was going to get Peacemaker away from Wynonna and she said she hadn’t figured it out yet . . . Then, uh, they . . .”

       “Then they kissed and it was probably one of the most disgusting sounds I have ever listened to,” Wynonna said, face scrunched up.

       “What?!” Waverly exclaimed. “Ok, hold on a second . . . Not only is she working with Bobo, but she is also _kissing_ him?!”

       “Mhm,” Nicole mumbled from next to her. Waverly pushed a hand through her hair.

       “Ok, I get to tell the next part!” Wynonna announced. “So, Bobo adjourned the meeting and that meant that the Rev-Heads were gonna start coming out of the house or whatever. So, Haught Shit and I had to full-on _sprint_ a mile while _this_ d-bag just trotted along ahead of us, not bothered at all. _THEN_ , we had to drag that fat Revenant that she shot _while still sprinting_ the rest of the way, _and may I add_ that his pants came off halfway through and I’ve never been so scared in my life . . . I sent him back where he belongs and we jumped into the car and took off.” Wynonna shifted her glance to Nicole. “I get to ride your Harley, you promised.”

       Waverly widened her eyes at her. “You what now?”

       Nicole gave her a toothy grin before turning back to Wynonna. “We will discuss that later,” she said, patting her leg.

       “So, we still don’t know what Bobo’s lead is yet?” Waverly asked.

       “Is it Peacemaker?” Doc asked.

       “No . . . It might involve it, though,” Dolls answered. “Did Willa say anything last night, Earp?”

       “No. But, she was trying to avoid me it seemed.”

       “That’s unfortunate,” Waverly mumbled. Nicole threw her a look.

       “Ok. On the invitation, the only two rules were that it is a Black Tie event and that there are no guns allowed. So, we are going to have to work around that last rule because I want Peacemaker there, Wynonna,” Dolls informed.

       “Oh yea, let me just crawl through the window, dress and all,” Wynonna huffed. Everyone looked around the room at each other. “You people _actually_ want me to do that . . . woooow.”

       Dolls cleared his throat. “Any questions?” Everyone shook their head. “Great. I will see you here at 6 on Saturday. Nedley said he will just meet us at the Hotel. Ya’ll are dismissed.” Everyone broke off from the table. Haught went up to Dolls. Doc wandered out of the room. And Wynonna went over to Waverly.

       “How’re you doing, Babygirl?” She asked, pinching her cheek.

       Waverly smacked her hand away. “Good . . . I can’t believe Willa would do this to us. After everything we’ve done for her. I told you I didn’t like something about her, Wynonna-”

       “Hey, ok yea, she is a traitor ass bitch, _but_ now we know so we can look out for it, right?”

       “Since when are you so optimistic about things?” She joked.

       Wynonna pursed her lips. “Ya know . . . I got to see your girl in action last night . . . and let me say, if I were you, I would have crawled down her pants then and there cause _damnnn_ -”

       She smacked her arm. “ _Wynonna_!” She hissed through a smile.

       “Oh right right, sorry.” She put her hands up. “ _You two haven’t done it yet_ ,” she ended teasingly, pushing herself off the table towards the coffee pot. She was unable to see how wide Waverly’s eyes got and how fast her face blushed. She rubbed her hands on her face and followed her sister.

       She felt Nicole come up behind her when she reached the counter. “What’re we talkin’ bout?” She asked, grabbing a mug and pouring herself a cup.

       “How Babygirl wants to get in your pants,” Wynonna chuckled.

       Nicole choked on her coffee, gurgling it back into the cup and Waverly shoved her sister. “What?” The redhead managed to get out.

       “Oh my- Wynonna _you_ said that- ok I am leaving.” Waverly turned and walked towards the door.

       “Actually, Waves, you are coming with me today,” Wynonna informed, wiggling her eyebrows at her when she turned around.

       “But-”

       “ _Gus_ needs your help with some stuff around the Homestead and I volunteered _you_ to help.” 

       She threw her a look. “Fine,” she grumbled walking back over to them. She leaned back into Nicole against the counter.

       “Plus, you have been with Haught Shit _all_ week and I want some Babygirl time,” the older Earp admitted, sounding a little hurt if she was reading her right.

       “Does Wynonna Earp _miss_ me?” Waverly asked sarcastically.

       She rolled her eyes. “Let’s go, you dweeb.” Wynonna turned to walk away but stopped when Waverly didn’t follow her. Waverly turned around and Nicole flipped her hand over from where it was in her back pocket, pulling her closer.

       “I will see _you_ later,” the brunette said, tapping the rim of her Stetson. “What time do you get off?”

       “5 o’clock."

       “Mk, then I will be there to pick you up at 7, how’s that sound?”

       “Sounds great,” she smiled, sealing it with a kiss. Wynonna came over and clapped Nicole’s arm after a few seconds, making her pull away.

       “Not to be a taco-blocko, but I really do need to pull Waves off of you so we can go,” she stated.

       “What the hell is a _taco-blocko_?” The redhead questioned. Waverly popped the collar of her jacket, fixing her hair.

       “It's like a cockblock . . . but for . . . _ladies_ ,” the darker brunette said, gesturing to them. The Officer did a long nod.

       “Ok, Wy, let’s go,” Waverly said in hopes to end _that_ conversation. Wynonna nodded and headed towards the door. Waverly quickly pulled Nicole in for one more kiss. “I love you,” she mumbled into her lips.

       “Love you, too,” She mumbled back. Waverly giggled, kissing the bottom of her chin.

       “Waves!” Wynonna called from the door.  

       “I’m coming!” She yelled back, giving Nicole one more quick peck, heading towards the door. She turned to her before she walked out and the Officer tipped her hat, making her cheeks go rosy.

       The Earp girls climbed into the car and headed out towards the Homestead. “What does Gus need?” 

       “Nothing. Gus isn’t even home,” Wynonna admitted.

       Waverly turned to her. “Then why am I going with you?” She asked, throwing her hands out.

       “Cause I want to hang out with youuu. It gets boring hanging out with Willa all of the time. All she wants is to know more about our past and it’s _really_ _not_ my favorite thing to talk about.” She paused for a few seconds. “I just don’t want you to forget about me, Waves.”

       “I haven’t forgotten about you, Nonna . . .”

       “Seems like you have,” she mumbled under her breath.

       Waverly brought her eyebrows together, feeling bad for unintentionally neglecting her sister for the past few days. “Tell you what, how about we get some snacks and watch The Lion King like old times, huh?” She suggested, tapping her arm.

       Wynonna turned to her with a smile. “Yea?”

       “Uh-huh,” she smiled.

       “Only if you don’t sob when Mufasa dies like you usually do."

       “I used to do that when I was a _child_!”

       “Mhm.”

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly and Wynonna are curled up with each other on the couch with a blanket draped over them. All the curtains were pulled closed and Mufasa’s death scene was playing on the TV. “You said you wouldn’t cry!” Wynonna sniffled.

       “ _You_ told me I wouldn’t cry, I didn’t tell you that!” Waverly responded, rubbing her eyes. “And you have no room to talk!”

       “It’s just so sad! . . . He was just trying to save his kid an-and then his stupid friggin brother goes all “Long live the King” and drops him off the side of a cliff!”

       “I know,” her sister consoled, stroking her head that was laying on her lap.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Wynonna was standing on one side of the coffee table and Waverly was on the other. They both had imaginary microphones held up to their mouths and were singing along with the blaring TV.

       “HAKUNA MATATA! WHAT A WONDERFUL PHRASE! HAKUNA MATATA! AIN'T NO PASSING CRAZE!”

       “IT MEANS NO WORRIES FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAYS!” Waverly belted, sliding across the floor on her socks, sticking one arm in the air.

       “God, I hate you,” Wynonna mumbled in between verses.

       “IT'S OUR PROBLEM-FREE PHILOSOPHY! HAKUNA MATATA!” They finished together.

       They heard footsteps approach from behind them. “Can you two keep it down, you sound like those hyenas!” Willa complained.

       “You’re such a party pooper!” Wynonna argued.

       “I’m trying to talk to my boyfriend, but I can’t hear him over the sound of you two!”

       Waverly and Wynonna shared a glance before looking back to her. The youngest Earp climbed onto the couch and rested her arms on the back, sitting on her knees. “You’ve been back for like _3 days_ and have already managed to get a boyfriend?! Who is it?!” She asked excitedly.

      Willa smirked and walked off towards the kitchen, other two on her tail. “You probably don’t know him,” she sighed, opening the fridge.

       “Try me, I know everyone,” Wynonna countered.

       She pursed her lips as she poured herself a cup of juice. “His name is Robert.”

       Both the girls’ eyebrows went up, but they played along. “Robert . . .?” Wynonna asked, questioning his last name.

       The front door opened and Dolls walked in. “Hey, Earp!” He called, looking down at a tablet. When he glanced up, he saw three sets of eyes on him. “Uh, _Wynonna_ Earp,” he corrected.

       “Yes?”

       “We got something.”

       The middle Earp looked to Waverly. “Go,” she encouraged with a nod.

       “But, Lion King,” the older one muttered, pushing her bottom lip out.

       “It’s fineee, we’ll finish it later,” she assured, patting her back and giving her a shove off the chair. She walked over to Dolls and they walked off somewhere private to discuss their work matters. Waverly turned her attention back to Willa. “Ok, tell me more!” She exclaimed as enthusiastically as possible.

       Willa chuckled. “Waverly, why are you so intrigued by _my_ relationship?” She asked with a shake of her head. “You certainly have one that is far more . . . _interesting_.”

       Waverly quickly bit back a harsh comment and unhinged her teeth from her cheeks. “I, uh, I’m not sure what you mean,” she said with a faux-oblivious laugh.

       “Well, you have a . . . _Nicole_ ,” she explained.

       Waverly tried to keep it down, but her _kill anyone that threatens to even poke my baby_ instincts kicked in. “Nicole is my _girlfriend_ , Willa,” she spat, bite of her words sending a scowl to the eldest Earp’s face.

       “I don’t see what the point of your _relationship_ is. I remember Daddy teaching us that we needed to find someone that would help give him grandchildren, so unless she is hiding something underneath those _awful boyish_ clothes of hers-”

       Waverly quickly rose from her seat, smacking her hand forcefully on the table. She drew up a shaky finger, pointing at the girl across from her. “You better believe that if you’d like to keep staying here, you are going to watch your _damn_ mouth because I can have your ass on the curb faster than you can blink!”

       Willa shot up, offense written all over her face. “How dare you even . . . _threaten_ something like that!”

       The youngest rolled her eyes. “Trust me, I’ve said worse about you,” she nipped, crossing her arms.

       Her eyes widened and she mimicked her stance. “Oh? Is that so? . . . Alright, _Half-Sister_ , let’s hear it.”

       Waverly’s face hardened and her eyes turned ice-cold. “ _Did you just_ -” Waverly didn’t even need an answer to that question. She knew she did _definitely_ say that. Although it was true, it was still far, _far_ over the line, and it made the very strained rubber band that was keeping her from jumping across that table snap. So: she jumped across the table, tackling her sister to the ground. The sound of dishes crashing to the floor is what alerted Dolls and Wynonna to the ruckus happening on the other side of the house. They rushed in and found a very angry Willa being pinned to the ground by an even _angrier_ Waverly. Wynonna managed to pull Waverly off of her right before a fist was going to try and _right her thoughts_.

       “Hey, hey, hey, hey, HEY! Waverly, stop it!” The middle Earp scolded, holding back the still fired up Waverly in her grasp. Dolls had a firm hold on Willa now, who was also trying to go at her. “What the hell happened between you two!?”

       “She-” Waverly’s voice broke as tears came down her face. “She called me half-sister!”

       “Willa!” Wynonna gasped, shooting her a glare.

       “Hey! She said she was going to throw me out!” The middle Earp looked down to the now sobbing Waverly in her arms.

       “Sh-she said it wasn’t _right_ for me and Nic to be together.” Wynonna and Dolls' eyes widened. Not only was that a stab at her _baby sister_ , but also at her (dare she say) best friend. She was _not_ for that.

       “Well, I think I’d want to throw you out too if I heard you say some 1900’s bullshit like that!”

       Willa’s eyes widened. “You are supposed to be on _my_ side, Wynonna! What happened to the good days when it was just the two of us against the world, huh!? Now I come back and you are babying the . . . the baby!”

       “Well, guess what, I also have morals now. And one of them is to stand up for what is right . . . no one hurts my Babygirl, Willa, and _certainly_ not you.”

       She scoffed, breaking away from Dolls’ grip and starting for the door. “Have fun wiping her hormonal teenager tears. I am going to go somewhere where I _actually_ feel _welcomed_.”

       “Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out,” Waverly mumbled into Wynonna’s shirt. Willa left, slamming the door behind her.

       “Earp, you can't let her leave. She is going to go crying to Bobo and he is going to draw that target on your back with glow in the dark paint,” Dolls said, rubbing his hand on his forehead.

       Wynonna let out an uncomfortable sigh. She looked down to Waverly. “He’s right. Go, Wy, I’ll be fine.”

       She nodded and took off for the door. “Willa, wait!” They heard her call.

 

**___**

 

       “Gardner, seriously? Just eat the damn sandwich!” Nicole groaned from the cell door.

       The timid boy on the inside thumbed through the contents of his meal. “I don’t eat white bread,” he complained quietly.

       The Officer had to laugh at that. “Dude, you’re gonna learn to eat what you are fed real fast,” she sighed, placing the Stetson back on her head. “And you are also gonna learn to do what you are told because if you keep picking at it I am gonna make Lonnie come and _feed_ it to you.”

       He looked up, but not at her. He seemed to be taking Waverly’s threat to not look at her very seriously. “Ok, I’ll eat it,” he grumbled, making a sour face.

       “Great. I’ll be back in 30. You better be done by then.” She left the room with a huff. 

       “He didn’t give you any trouble, did he?” Nedley asked from the break room as she walked past.

       “ _He_ _doesn’t eat white bread_ ,” she mimicked, rolling her eyes so hard it hurt. The sound of heels quickly tapping across the tiles of the station approached from behind her. She turned around to meet another redhead eye to eye. “Uhm, may I help you?”

       “Yes, you may. Will you be ever so kind and tell me what my _shithead_ of a brother did this time to get himself in here and why I can’t bail him out like I have all 13 other times?”

       Nicole ran her tongue along inside of her bottom lip as she crossed her arms (well, to the best of her ability with the sling on). “I’m going to assume your brother is Perverto, yea?” She asked, eyebrows raised.

       “Haught!” Nedley hissed from behind her.

       She stuck out a hand to the woman. “Officer Haught, yet another grope-ee of your lovely brother,” she introduced with a smile.

       The other redhead blinked at her before accepting the handshake. “Mercedes Gardner, the one who has to clean up all of his messes,” she sighed.

       Nicole pushed herself off of the doorframe and headed towards her office. “Follow me, I’ll tell you how Shorty’s got a few bullet holes added to its ceiling.”

 

**___**

 

       Waverly pushed a mug across the table to Dolls. “You ok?” He asked.

       “Yea, I’m good . . . just thinking,” she mumbled into her own cup. “There’s a lot going on right now.”

       “I hear ya,” he sighed.

       “Wh-what were you and Nonna talking about?” 

       “We think Judge Cryderman is the mastermind behind Bobo’s success . . . and that means someone is feeding him BBD intel.”

       “Someone we know or someone you work for?”

       He took a drink from his cup. “I don’t know.” He paused for a few seconds. “Black Badge isn’t just a job for me.”

       “Yea, no kidding,” she chuckled. “I . . . I get it. Feeling like you are about to lose something.” She looked up at him, rubbing her finger along the outside of her mug.

       “It’s ok if you don’t like her, ya know,” he said, giving her a soft look.

       She took a breath. “I’m happy she’s back, I really am . . . It's- I just never really knew her, ya know? . . . But, now I don’t think I want to.”

       “Hey . . . it doesn’t matter how many Willas come back, we’re still gonna need you . . . Earp.”

       She smiled up at him. “You called me Earp,” she giggled softly.

       “Yea, I did,” he nodded. “Don’t let it get to your head . . . And there’s only three of you right?” They both laughed. The moment was cut short when they head a window shatter and the room started to fill with smoke. Dolls quickly sprung up and threw a towel over it. “Smoke bomb! Clear Clear! Go, Waverly, get down!” She dropped to the ground right as bullets started to fly through the windows and walls. Dolls tipped the dining room table, hiding them behind it. He pulled his gun out and began shooting back. “Go find the basement now! Anything without windows! Go, go, go!” He shouted when he ducked down to reload. She crawled out from the protection of the table and into the kitchen, hiding against the cabinets. She searched around under the table to find the gun they kept there. “Waverly, hide!”

       She let out an annoyed groan. “God, I wish people would stop saying that to me!” She found the shotgun and pumped it, getting ready to aim through the window above her. “Ah, you wanna get all up in my kitchen!?” She popped up and shot two shots at the man shooting through her window. “Eat shit, Shit-Eaters!” She suddenly felt a searing pain in her side, causing her to drop to the ground and let out a few wails. Under the madness, she could hear returning shots to the attackers. Dolls was still inside, so she knew it must be Wynonna and Willa.

       “Fall back, fall back!” She heard a man shout and the bullets stopped flying. She stood up and slowly made her way to the living room.

       Wynonna ripped the screen door open, rushing into the room. “Waverly? Dolls?” She grabbed onto Dolls. Willa was still peaking out the window.

       “We’re ok,” he assured.

       The oldest Earp turned to them. “Good to go? She asked as she reloaded her gun.

       “Wait.” Wynonna made her way to the struggling Waverly.

       “For what? They just tried to kill us in our own home again!” Willa shouted back.

       “Uh, guys,” Waverly slurred. “I think I got a littlebitshot.” She fell to the ground, still gripping her side.

       “Waverly!” Wynonna dropped to her knees, grabbing her face.

       “They’re getting away!” Willa yelled again, trying to get the darker brunette to pay attention to her.

       “JUST A SECOND!” She shouted, turning to her. Willa rolled her eyes with a groan, running back out the door. Wynonna looked back to her baby sister. “It’s ok, you’re ok,” she soothed, running her hand through her hair.

       Dolls moved Waverly’s hand away, examining her wound. “Ok, it’s just a graze,” he breathed, looking between both of them.

       “Just!?” Waverly gasped, throwing her head back in pain.

       Wynonna looked back to the door as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Shit! Willa!” She looked at Dolls.

       “I’ll go, stay with her!” She handed him her SMG and he rushed out the door.

       “Shh, you’re ok Babygirl,” she cooed as she pulled up her contacts.

 

**___**

 

       “So, he’s going to _prison_?” Mercedes asked, staring wide-eyed at the redheaded Officer.

       “Yes, most likely,” she confirmed.

       She sat back in shock as the heeled redhead started bouncing around the room, cheering and whooping. She stopped after a few seconds, placing her hands on the back of the chair. “I have been waiting for this day for _18 years_! That little shit has _ruined_ my life and now he will be out of my hair!- Oh my gosh, I have to tell Beth!” She grabbed her purse and ran out of the room, leaving Nicole _more than_  confused.

       She felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. “Officer Haught, at your service!” She answered cheerfully, kicking her feet up onto her desk and twirling a donut around on her left pointer finger.

       “Nicole,” Wynonna answered breathlessly.

       Her heart dropped to the floor as she heard the familiar sounds of someone's crying in the background. She dropped her feet leaning forward in the chair, gripping her phone like her life depended on it.  “Wynonna, what-” Her voice broke. “What happened?” She asked shakily.

       “There was a siege on the Homestead. And, Waver- Waves got shot.”        

       Nicole’s breath stalled in her throat as she stood up. “I’m on my- I’m- I’m coming. Tell her I’m coming.”

       “I will, Nicole, just get here.”

       Nicole gulped as she hung up, flying out the door, heading straight for Nedley’s office. “Randy,” she breathed, gripping the doorframe.

       He looked up, standing when he saw the color of her face. “Nicole?” He asked cautiously.

       “Wynonna- there was a- Waverly got shot,” she stammered.

       “Oh, oh no. Ok, Nicole, go,” he finished. She left without a word, sprinting out the doors, pushing past a group of people, and scrambling into her car. She started it and sped off, sirens blaring.

       With the help of hitting 130 as she went, driving like a bat out of hell, she was quickly at the Homestead. She saw the front of the house decorated with bullet holes and the multiple bodies scattered across the front lawn.

       “Nic,” Waverly slurred, looking up at Wynonna when she heard her siren approach.

       “Yea . . . I told you she was coming,” Wynonna soothed, putting pressure on the cloth she was holding against Waverly’s wound.

       The front door smacked open as Nicole tumbled into the house, scanning her eyes frantically around the room until they landed on Wynonna with Waverly’s head in her lap. She rushed over, sliding on her knees beside them. “ _Waves_ ,” she breathed, taking her bloody hands in her good hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boi. 
> 
> Nicole was so understanding with Waves, and that's hard with what she was accusing her with. 
> 
> Fun Fact: My friends are the ones I got "taco-blocko" from. They always say it, it is so fricking annoying.
> 
> Also, sisterly bonding with The Lion King sounds like something all siblings should do, in my opinion. (All credits to Disney btw)
> 
> Willa's a bitch, we been knew for a while now. 
> 
> And the siege had mostly all the same dialogue from the show, so credits to the writers. 
> 
> Let me know what you think below! What do you think is gonna happen at the Poker Spectacular?


	27. All Because My Tail Light was Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WayHaught Date Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wassup hoes.
> 
> Got ya'll another fic-a-doodle-doo.
> 
> Seriously, I need to sleep. ^ Do ya'll see this. 
> 
> Oof. Enjoy!

       “I don’t _think_ you need stitches or anything,” Nicole mumbled as she pat Waverly’s graze with a cotton ball.

       “Good because I didn’t plan on going to the hospital . . . I have a date tonight,” she winked.

       Nicole paused her patting and looked up at her. “Waves, you got _shot_ , we are not going anywhere tonight.”

       The brunette gave her a look. “Uh, yea we are. I am not _dying_ , Nicole. I am taking my girlfriend on a date tonight and you are going to have to be ok with that because you’re _kinda_ my girlfriend.”

       Nicole smiled, rolling her eyes. “Fine, _but_ if you even _look_ like you are the slightest bit uncomfortable, we are going home,” she warned, taping a sheet of gauze to her. “Where are we even going?”

       Waverly smirked, unrolling her shirt and smoothing it down. “I dunno,” she sighed.

       Nicole gave her a look from the sink where she was washing her hand. “You’re gonna play _that_ game?”

       “Yep,” she confirmed, popping the p. 

       She walked back over to her, flicking excess water at her face. “Ok, well, can you at least tell me how I should _dress_?” She paused for a second. “Like on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being a potato sack, 10 being Red Carpet attire.”

       Waverly rubbed her chin with her thumb and pointer finger. “Though I would _love_ to see you in a potato sack, I am going to go with a solid 6.”

       The Officer smiled, placing her hand on her hip, pulling her closer. “That’s quite fancy, Ms. Earp,” she said lowly.

       “Decently so, I’d say.” She brought her hand up to her cheek, pulling her in for a kiss. They got carried away after a few seconds and Nicole slowly backed her against the wall in the kitchen, slipping in between her legs and knocking their hips, placing them flush together.

       The front door flung open, a very angry Gus stomping into the house. They quickly pulled away from each other. “What in God’s name, Waverly Earp?!”

       Her eyes went wide, face turning bright red. “Uhmmm-”

       Gus tutted at her. “No, not you two. Why are there bullet holes in the walls and why are Dolls and Doc throwing dead soldiers bodies in Wynonna’s truck bed!? Did none of you think it would have been a swell idea to call-” She paused, seeing the bloodstains on her white jeans. She walked towards her, pulling her shirt up, revealing the gauze-covered wound. “Waverly,” she said softly, looking up at her with concerned eyes.

       “Gus, I’m fine, it’s just a graze.”

       She sighed. “Next time someone tries to ambush my home I expect a call, are we clear?” She looked at both of them.

       “Yes, Ma’am,” they mumbled.

       Wynonna came galumphing down the stairs like a hippo, causing them all to stare at her. “What?” She asked, walking towards the fridge. Waverly and Nicole rolled their eyes.

       The older woman turned back to the couple. “One more thing, we eat in here, so let’s not do _that_ anymore, alright?” They both nodded, small smiles hidden under blushes.

       “If you would have given ‘em a few more minutes, they _would_ have been eating in here,” the older Earp mumbled with a smirk.

       “ _WYNONNA_!” They hissed. Nicole buried her face in Waverly’s hair with a groan.

       Gus was looking at the wall, blinking slowly. “I need a beer,” she sighed after a few seconds. “Wynonna, go get Willa from the barn, we need to get this mess cleaned up.” She nodded, heading for the door.

       Nicole picked her head up and Waverly turned to face her. “I’m gonna get going,” she sighed.

       Waverly made a pouty face. “Noo,” she whined, squeezing her arms around her middle.

       “You’ll see me in . . .” She looked at the stove, checking the time. “6 and a half hours.”

       “Mmmph fineee, you may leave.”

       Gus stood against the counter, casually listening to them say their goodbyes. She felt her heart swell when they each muttered a certain three words to one another before the Officer turned out the door. Not that she was going to let them know she heard it, though.

       “Ready?” Waverly asked, walking over to her aunt.

       “When those two decide to get their butts in here, I will be,” she sighed, taking a pull of her beer.

       “Then I shall go give them a few words of encouragement,” Waverly smirked. She walked up to the door and poked her head out. “WILLA! WYNONNA! GUS SAID SHE IS GONNA MAKE YOU DO IT ALL BY YOURSELVES IF YOU DON’T HURRY UP!” And with that, the girls came running out of the barn, right into the house.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole was on outfit number 23. “Nope,” she said aloud to herself . . . for the 23rd time. She had no clue what to wear. She had tried on some fancier outfits and some that were a little toned down. She decided on her last resort.

 

 **Nicole Haught ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙: Babeeeeee I don't know what to wearrrrrrr** ☹️

**Waves 🌊 💛: Oh quit. I’m sure whatever u decide on will look great!**

**Nicole Haught ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙: Ur not helping my very high stress level right now**

**Waves 🌊 💛: Nic, just put something on, u’ll be fineee**

**Nicole Haught ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙:** **🖕**

 **Waves 🌊 💛:** **🙄** **I’ll be there in 15 minutes u better be ready**

**Nicole Haught ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙: Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh**

**Waves 🌊 💛: See u then** **😘**

 

       Nicole tossed her phone onto her bed and flopped down onto it, letting out a long groan. She stood up and walked over to her closet, standing still, staring at it for a solid 3 minutes. She took the other shirt off that she was wearing and buttoned up a maroon short-sleeved button-up (rolling the sleeves because Gay TM). She tucked it into the black jeans she was already wearing. “Fuck it,” she sighed as she added a black necktie to the mix. She threw on her maroon Vans and looked at herself in the mirror. “Number 24 . . . you are the chosen one.” She cringed at herself before heading into the bathroom to do some last minute adjustments, deciding to leave her hair down in its slightly wavy natural form.

 

**___**

 

       “Wynonna, what if she thinks I look stupid!?” She was wearing a lacy long-sleeved maroon dress with the same color suede heels.

       Wynonna let out an honest to God laugh. “Babygirl, you could show up dressed as a clown and she would still be drooling over you, I have _no_ clue where you are getting that idea from.”

       Waverly walked over to her. “She’s all worried about her outfit and now I am worried about mine!”

       Wynonna handed her her purse, opening the front door. “You look like a fucking supermodel, Waverly, go!” Waverly groaned.

       “You look amazing, Sweetie!” Gus called from the couch.

       She sighed. “Ok . . . ok.”

       “Hey, Gus and I are gonna help Shorty tonight. It’s Trivia Night. Willa might tag along, too, so if no one is here when you get back, that’s where we’ve run off to.” Waverly nodded. She handed out her goodbyes and hopped into her Jeep, heading to Nicole’s.

       When she arrived, she pulled her mirror down and checked over her makeup, doing a little touch up on her lipstick. Deciding it was good, she exited the car and made her way to the door. She was surprised to feel those butterflies flit back into her stomach. She hadn’t felt them around Nicole for a while now. She took a breath and knocked on the door, hearing footsteps quickly approach from behind it. The door opened and they were both left speechless, tracing over each other’s bodies. They finally met eyes after a few long seconds. “Hi,” they breathed with bashful chuckles.

       “We’re matching,” Nicole said with a smile, closing the door and taking a step towards her.

       “Wow, look at that, you decided on something looks . . . _really nice_.” She noticed her eyes were wandering again.

       Nicole licked her top lip, shoving her phone in her pocket. “As did you.” She placed her hand on her jaw, pulling her in for a kiss.

       Waverly grasped her bicep, pulling back after a few seconds. “You need to keep these like this,” she informed, squeezing her fingers, feeling the muscle underneath.

       Nicole smirked. “I planned on it.” 

       She nodded, giving her another kiss. “Good.” She took her hand and pulled her towards her Jeep. “We have reservations for 8:10, so we need to get going.”

       “It’s only 7 o’clock, Babe,” Nicole said, climbing in the car.

       “Exactly why we are leaving now, it's a long drive,” Waverly informed when she got in the driver’s seat.

       Nicole immediately took her hand when she rested it on the console after starting the car. “Where’re we going?” She asked, giving her a dimpled smile that Waverly had to force herself to not look at.

       “Nunya,” she sighed. “And if you ask again, I will take you to _McDonald’s_.”

       Nicole took that threat _very_ seriously. “How was your day . . . before and after getting shot,” she asked, knowing she was too worried about her earlier to ask.

       “ _Well_ . . . I tackled Willa before the shooting,” she snorted.

       Nicole’s eyes went wide and she turned to her. “You _what_?! Waverly, why?”

       “She was talking crap about you so I tackled her,” the brunette shrugged.

       “About me?”

       “Yea. First, she wouldn’t call you my girlfriend. Then, she said our relationship was pointless because we couldn’t have kids, which is stupid because we can. Anyway, she continued on with that saying that you could have a mysterious dick. I started yelling at her and threatened to kick her out and then she called me half-sister, so I jumped the table and tackled her.”

       Nicole blinked at her for a few seconds, mouth slightly open. “That’s . . . horrible.”        

       Waverly turned to her. “Do you see why I’ve always hated her now?” 

       “Yes. Yes, I do,” she huffed. Waverly ran her thumb along her hand. “Does she _seriously_ believe that just cause the kids wouldn’t be _biologically our_ kids that it would make them any less ours?” Her accent came out more when she was upset about something. The brunette was a little surprised that this was the part she was most angry about. But it also made her fall in love with her more seeing how passionate she was about it.

       “I-I mean, I don’t know for sure, but that’s what it sounded like she was implying.” She looked over to her when she let go of her hand. She saw she was wiping under her eyes. “Baby,” she soothed, rubbing her thigh. She dug around in the console and handed her a pack of tissues.

       “Sorry, I’m, like, hella PMSing right now,” Nicole laughed, pulling a tissue out. The brunette didn’t quite believe that. “Ok, maybe half PMSing.” Yep, she was right.

       “I’m gonna assume you really want kids?” She asked, turning to her with a smile. 

       “Do I seem like the motherly type to you?”

       The brunette cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, you really do actually.”

       “Ok, good, cause yea, I really want kids,” she said with a giggle. She took Waverly’s hand again. “Do, uh, do you?” She asked, nervousness creeping through her voice.

       “It’s not like it's number 2 on my _Goals in Life_ list or anything,” she smirked.

       “What’s number 1?”

       “Number 1 is getting married. 2 is having kids. 3 is staying happy. 4 is getting a better job. And 5 is to eat geoduck.”

       Nicole looked at her funny. “Is that the one that looks like a p-”

       “Yup.”

       She nodded, letting out a content sigh after a few seconds. “I dunno, there’s just something about having a little minion running around that makes me all happy inside.” 

       “I can see it now:” She cast her hand across the limited space of the car. “You and a little redhead trampling around the house, hooting and hollering after the Rangers win a game.”

       The Officer smiled a wide smile. “I’ve never thought I needed that until _this_ very moment,” she said with a laugh.

       Waverly kissed her knuckles, looking over to her and returning it. It faded quickly. “Where the hell is your sling?” 

       Her eyes went wide. “I did not grab that, did I? . . . Sorry, Babe, I wasn’t thinking about it.”

       Waverly sighed. “It’s ok, I guess.” Nicole pursed her lips. She turned the radio up to try and lighten the mood. She saw Waverly blush, realizing it was in the middle of Thinking Out Loud. The redhead gave her hand a squeeze, rubbing her thumb across the top as she leaned her head on her shoulder. “God, Nicole, I hate you sometimes!” She exclaimed with a smile.

       “Why?” She asked with a confused laugh. 

       “I can’t be mad at you . . . You always find some way to be all cute and then I get all mushy inside and- ughhh!”

       Nicole smirked. “Sorry, I’m just that awesome.” Waverly shook her head at her.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly pulled the Jeep into a parking lot and parked in front of a large white building. “Where are we?” She asked, looking around.

       “Calgary,” Waverly said, keeping a straight face.

       Nicole gave her the dirtiest look. “Thank you, Captain Obvious.” The brunette let out a laugh, stepping out of the car. Nicole got out and walked around to the front.

       “Hope you like Brazilian,” she smiled, taking her hand and pulling her towards the entrance.

       “I’ve never had it,” she said with a smile. She read the sign above the door slowly. “Gaucho?” They walked in and saw a very nice restaurant that was filled with people. Mostly dates or small gatherings of friends.

       A waiter greeted them. “Do you two have a reservation?” He asked, grabbing the menus. 

       “Uh, yes, Earp,” Waverly answered with a smile.

       He looked down at his tablet, finding their table. “Earp, like Wyatt Earp?” He asked as he walked them to their seats.

       “That’s my great-great-grandfather,” she sighed, seeming to be used to that kind of question.

       He placed two menus in front of each of them. “Sweet!- I mean, uh, if you guys want to look at our drinks menu, I can go ahead and get those for you while you look over the food,” he said, face blushed. Nicole ordered a Pineapple Bomb (because it sounded “the funnest”) and Waverly got some type of Brazilian Mimosa. He left with their orders.

       “This place is really friggin nice, Wave. How’d you find it?” Nicole asked, scanning her eyes around the room.

       “It had really good reviews on Yelp.” Nicole smiled at that. The waiter returned with their drinks a few minutes later and they ordered their meals and an appetizer. “Funnest is not a word, by the way,” Waverly informed.

       The Officer gave her a look, taking a sip of her drink. She gasped, picking the glass up and looking at it. “Yaaas!” She paused, thinking about what she had just said. Waverly was lightly laughing at her with a cocked eyebrow. “I think this drink just turned me gayer than I already am.”

       “ _Impossible_." 

**.  .  .**

 

       30 minutes later, the waiter came out with their appetizer. “I am _so_ sorry about your wait. One of our chefs just quit so we are running a little slow at the moment.” Waverly and Nicole had hardly noticed how long it had been, for they had been enjoying each other’s company, talking away. “I’ll get you ladies another drink on the house, how’s that sound?” They both thanked him, ordering another of what they had.

       “Dang, that sucks, a chef just quitting?” Waverly said, looking at the waiter as he walked away.

       “Yea . . .”

 

**.  .  .**

 

       They got their meals about 10 minutes later and were _very_ impressed with the food. They finished up and decided to roll out at about 9:45. “You’re not gonna finish your drink?” Waverly had half a glass left.

       “Nah, I’m driving, remember.”

       Nicole nodded, grabbing the glass and tipping the remainder of it back. Waverly sighed, standing up and pulling her card out of the receipt book the waiter had brought back to the table. “Don’t wanna be wasteful.” The brunette gave her a push towards the door. They walked out and Nicole scooped up Waverly’s hand, swinging their arms back and forth. “I had fun tonight, Baby, thank you,” she said, looking at her with a smile.

       Waverly stopped in front of the Jeep and pulled the redhead into a searing kiss by the tie. “Mm, you’re welcome, I did, too,” she whispered, mouth centimeters from her lips. “I kinda want to do something else, though.”

       “Like what?”

       “I dunno, what’s around here?” She asked as they got in the car.

       Nicole pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Let’s seeeee . . .” She clicked around on it for a few minutes, Waverly peeking over her arm.

       “Ooo, nightclub!” She squealed, pressing on one of the locations she was scrolling past.

       “You want to go to _a club_?” The redhead asked with an open smile.

       “Why not? Plus, I’ll get to see you dance,” she smirked, tapping her nose.

       Nicole rolled her eyes. “I’m not really dressed for a club,” she mumbled, looking down at herself.

       Waverly let out a sigh, turning her body towards her. She pulled her tie off and unbuttoned her top 2 buttons, popping it open a little. “Now you are!” She exclaimed, starting the car. “How do we get there?”

       Nicole gave her the directions and they made it to the Nightclub 10 minutes later. She pulled her mirror down and pulled her hair out of the tight curls, turning them into looser waves. She put some more lipstick on and kissed Nicole’s cheek, leaving a pink lip stain. The Officer decided to leave it there. They got out of the car and walked up to the entrance, feeling the music vibrate through the ground outside.

       They were stopped by the bouncer at the door. “I need to see your ID, Ma’am,” he said grumpily, looking at Waverly. Her face reddened.

       “Oooh, your 18, Baby,” the redhead chuckled, bumping her with her hip. She gave her a look, handing the man her license. He nodded, opening the rope for them and handing her back her card. “It's cause you’re short,” she whispered, placing her hands on her hips as they walked in. She dodged Waverly’s attempt at smacking her with a laugh.

       The room was dark with lots of colorful lights shining down in beat with the music. It was a lot different than Pussy Willows, the only club Waverly had ever been to. It seemed to be more up-to-date, a lot of technology was being used. The DJ stand they could see over the crowd of people was huge. And people. There were _so_ many people there. At the bar, in the middle, over in the different seating lounges. And it was _not_ a strip joint. “If you’re gonna see me dance, I need a few shots,” the Deputy informed, head near her ear so she could hear her over the loud music. They walked over the bar.

       “Whaddya need?” The man from behind the counter asked.

       “Long Island Iced Tea,” Nicole smirked, looking at Waverly, who was rolling her eyes.

       “Just a Coke, please,” she sighed. He made their drinks quickly, pushing the glasses towards them. Nicole slapped a $20 down on the counter and took a seat on the stool, sipping at her drink. “Are those even good? Isn’t it like 4 different shots mixed together?”

       “It’s five ⅓ shots, sweet and sour, and Coke,” Nicole informed. “Try it.” She held her glass out towards her, holding the straw. She took a sip, making a face, quickly washing it down with her own drink. Nicole laughed.

       “That is horrendous,” she said, still making a face. Nicole twirled her straw around in it before removing it and taking a few larger drinks. Waverly’s mouth came open. “I see why you came home like you did with Wynonna.”

       Nicole gave her a look. “I lost count after 8 shots that night.”

       Waverly laughed. “You’re off tomorrow, right?” She nodded, taking another drink. The brunette hopped off of her stool and pushed herself in between the redhead’s legs. “I get you all day long?” She asked with a flirtatious smirk.

       Nicole smiled, placing her hand on the small of her back and giving her a kiss. “ _Technically_ yes, but not how you want it. I’m helping you guys fix up the holes in the Homestead. I told Doc I would when I left earlier. We’re getting ya’ll new windows and putting new siding up all around the house.” 

       Her mouth crept into a grin. “So, I get to watch my fine ass girlfriend getting down and dirty, doing some manual labor all day? _That_ sounds just as good,” she husked, dropping her hand to her crotch.

       Nicole took in a breath, pupils dilating. She grabbed her drink, chugged it down, and stood up with a smirk. “Let’s go dance, yea?” She placed both hands on Waverly’s hips, walking her backward. She giggled, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the crowd. They found an opening, so they stopped there.

       Waverly saw that Nicole’s eyes were wandering around attentively so she pulled her head down, hands on each cheek, making her look her in the eyes. “Right here, all you need to worry about. I know you’re used to being in sexy cop mode, but you’re just Nic tonight.” She slid her hands down her arms, taking the Officer’s hands and placing them on her hips. She felt her shoulders relax as she smiled, pulling her into a kiss. Waverly brought her hand to the back of her neck, deepening it. The Officer slid her hand down, squeezing her butt as she pulled her closer.

       They spent the next 20 minutes dancing, kissing, grinding, laughing. They were having fun. Nicole was a little tipsy, so she was looser than normal. They had quite literally bumped into another lesbian couple, so they grouped up with them. It was a taller blond named Calli and a plumper strawberry blond named Alexa and they were both closer to Waverly’s age.

       “Where are you guys from? Around here?” Alexa asked.

       “Purgatory . . . We came up here for dinner and decided to come and have some fun,” Waverly answered. They both cocked an eyebrow. “Weird name, I know.” They nodded. “What about you guys?”

       “We live here in the City . . . just moved in together actually,” Calli said, bumping her girlfriend with her arm. They walked over to the seating area and sat down on a half-circle couch together.

       Nicole threw her arm over the back of the couch, resting her hand on Waverly’s shoulder “Aw. How long have ya’ll been together?”

       “5 years next month. We met in high school,” the blond answered. She looked to them, asking the same question.

       “When’d we meet, last . . . Tuesday?” Nicole asked.

       Waverly nodded. “And we made it official on Saturday,” she added.

       The other couple was looking at them weird. “You are telling me you two have barely been together for a _week_ and are already goals?” Alexa asked. Nicole smiled, drumming her fingers on Waverly’s shoulder.

       “How are _we_ goals?” The brunette asked. The other couple looked at each other, shaking their heads.

       “Well, for starters, you look at each other like _that_ ,” Alexa chuckled. Nicole had her head tipped and was flashing heart eyes as Waverly scrunched her nose at her. They looked back to the couple, faces blushing a little.

       “ _And_  Nicole has kept a hand on you the whole time we have been talking, when we were over there and now here. She pulled you closer when that group of guys walked past us earlier and she put you on the inside of the couch. Her instincts make her subconsciously protect you without either of you even noticing it . . . And you both smile each time you catch each other’s eyes. You blush ever so slightly when the other kisses you. And when you laugh, it doesn’t matter who made you, you always look at each other . . . Sorry, haha, I’m a psychology major, I notice the little things,” Calli said, rubbing the back of her neck.

       Nicole and Waverly looked at each other, taking all of that information in. They noticed how Nicole’s hand was holding her shoulder and how they did smile when they turned to each other. They looked back to the girls. “We _do_ do that, don’t we?” They both asked at the same time. Waverly covered her face, leaning her head on Nicole’s shoulder as she laughed. The redhead rubbed her hand up and down her upper arm, laughing into her hair. The other two were laughing, too.

       “I’ve never believed in soulmates until this very moment, that was too good,” Alexa sighed.

       “How’d you guys meet, I need some pointers so I can find mine,” Calli smirked, getting an elbow from her girlfriend.

       “This dork pulled me over, scaring the shit out of me, all because _my tail light was out_ ,” Waverly said, bumping her with her thumb.

       “You’re a cop?” Calli asked wide-eyed.

       “Sheriff’s Deputy Haught,” the smaller girl smirked, poking her nose. Nicole rolled her eyes with a blush.

       “And her last name is Haught, ok, am I suddenly in some mushy-gushy romance novel?” Alexa asked with a laugh.

       “I believe so,” the Officer nodded. She turned to Waverly. “Did you ever get that fixed?” Waverly pulled her lips in, looking at her guiltily. “Waveee! . . . Ok, guess what _you_ get to help me do tomorrow?” She let out a groan. “Yea, mhm.”

       “You guys wanna come get some more drinks with us?” Alexa asked as she and her girlfriend stood up.

       “Sure!” Waverly replied, standing up and taking Nicole’s hand. They pushed their way through the crowd to the bar.

       “Are you sure you’re fine with me drinking if you’re not?” The redhead asked.

       “Yes, I prefer it actually cause I can mess with drunk Nicole,” she said with an evil grin.

       Nicole decided to counter that. “Well, in that case . . .” She turned to the bartender. “Get me 4 tequila shots.” She threw her a wink.

       “Oh _god_ ,” Waverly groaned.

       Nicole stepped towards her. “I’ve been told I get . . . _horny_ on tequila,” Nicole husked in her ear.

       “Then _be my guest_ , Officer Haught,” Waverly breathed.

       Nicole chuckled and turned around, pulling her wallet to pay. This was probably the only time all night Waverly had been out of her sight. And she didn’t think anything of it, she was only going to be a couple of seconds. She saw Alexa and Calli walking towards her out of the corner of her eye.

       “Hey, fuckwad!” One of them shouted.

       “Nicole!” The other said, pointing behind her. She cocked an eyebrow, looking behind her. She saw a deer-in-headlights Waverly with some college boy grabbing on her waist. She dropped her wallet and spun around, shoving the kid back angrily and stepping in front of Waverly. She reached around to her back with her casted hand and felt Waverly’s dress, then feeling her gripping the back of her shirt.

       She pulled the kid forward by the collar. “What the _hell_ is your problem?” She growled through her teeth, fire in her eyes. He shoved her back. She brought her hand back again, pushing her girlfriend to the very worried duo standing next to her. She saw them sit her down so she turned her attention forward again. She grabbed his shirt again.

       “What’s _your_ problem? I didn’t do shit to your friend, man!” He slurred, shoving her again.

       She got in his face. “ _Girl_ friend. She’s my girlfriend, ya dick! You’ve got too many appendages for her liking.”

       He smiled an evil grin, tracing his eyes up and down her body. “Lesbos, aye? I’m into th-” He was cut off by a hard punch to the jaw, sending him back a few steps.

       “Don’t you fucking finish that.” He took a drunk swing at her that she easily dodged. She nailed him again in the nose with a crack.

       “Nic, don’t,” she heard faintly from behind her.

       She growled, grabbing him by the back of the neck and driving him forward, shoving his face into the bar and pinning his arm behind his back. “Next time you decide to get your weekly dose of groping in, remember what happened when you fucked with a cop’s girl,” she spat, releasing him with a shove in the other direction. She shook out her hand as she rushed over to Waverly, grabbing her hand and bringing it to her chest. “Are you ok?” She asked softly, eyebrows furrowed together in concern.

       “Yea . . . I’m good. It just . . .”

       Nicole nodded, wrapping her arms around her. “I know,” she breathed. She pulled back and gave her forehead a long kiss. She dropped her head to meet her eyes and gripped her hand. “You wanna go home?”

       She shot back one of Nicole’s tequilas before nodding. Nicole smiled a small smile, kissing her before bending down and picking her wallet up off the floor. Waverly stepped off the stool, gluing herself to Nicole’s side and squeezing the hand that was wrapped tightly around her waist. The redhead quickly tipped back her remaining 3 with ease.

       Alexa and Calli stepped towards them. “You guys going, I hope?” Alexa asked.

       Nicole nodded. “We’ve got a long drive anyways,” she sighed. She pulled her phone out. “Let’s keep in touch, yea?” She asked, handing them her phone with the dial pad opened. The other three took out their phones and passed them around.

       “It was really nice meeting you guys, I had a really great time,” Waverly said with a smile, going in for a hug for both of them.

       “We had fun, too! You should really tell us when you come back up here and we will be sure to meet up!” Calli said as she hugged Nicole.

       “We will,” the brunette assured. They waved to them and walked out the door to the cold darkness.

       “It’s burry,” Nicole said with a slight slur. Waverly smiled up at her as they made their way to the car. They climbed in and Waverly started it up, turning the heat on immediately. Nicole grabbed her hand, interlocking their fingers tightly.

       She looked at her. “I’m ok, Babe, really,” Waverly assured, patting her arm with her free hand. Nicole sighed. She was unsure, but still loosened her grip a little. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket.

 

 **Calli from da Club** 😜 **: She’s had something happen before, hasn’t she?**

**Nicole Haught: Yea…Last week...Ex bf**

**Calli from da Club** 😜 **: Damn, last week? What happened if u don’t mind me asking?**

**Nicole Haught: uh. She was at work and forced himself on her in the bathroom. I knocked him out before he could actually..ya know**

**Calli from da Club** 😜 **: Shit. I hope this dick didn’t scare her too bad**

**Nicole Haught: Yea...Me too**

**.  .  .**

 

       When they were about 10 minutes away from Purgatory, Waverly learned 2 things: 1. It is quite hard to drive when someone is slowly inching their hand up your inner thigh and whispering things in your ear. 2. Tequila definitely did make Nicole a little horny.

       “My house or yours?” Waverly breathed, biting her lip as she looked towards her girlfriend.

       “Yours,” she whispered, punctuating it with a nip to the jawline. “No one home?”

       “I don’t think so.” She pushed a little harder on the accelerator. “What’s wrong with your house?”

       “All 23 of my other outfits are scattered around my bedroom,” she slurred.

       They arrived at the Homestead and Waverly saw that Wynonna’s truck was gone and all the lights were off. A good sign that they were still at Shorty’s. She smirked, parking the car. They walked up to the door and Nicole pushed her against the doorframe, kissing her neck as she tried to open it. Locked. Even better sign. She sorted through her keys, letting out some breathy moans. She unlocked the door and the redhead pushed her into the house. She reached down and pulled her heels off of her swollen feet, tossing them to the side. Nicole pushed her against the door, locking their lips and sliding her hand up her dress, gripping her ass.

       “Bedroom,” Waverly moaned as Nicole left a fresh branding on her collarbone. She pushed herself off the door and had planned on walking up there, but when Nicole pulled her into her and lifted her up, she wasn’t going to say no.

       She _did_ lock her ankles a little tighter than normal, though.

       Waverly kissed her as she made her way up, and she pushed her into the wall for a couple of seconds at the top. “You’re fuckin hot,” she muttered, pulling away from her lips for a second.

       “You’re fuckin drunk,” Waverly chuckled, untucking her shirt. 

       “I just carried you up stairs, I am not _drunk_ ,” the redhead retorted as they moved into Waverly’s room. She unzipped the back of the brunette’s dress before laying her down on the bed. Waverly quickly rolled them over, straddling her hips. She slipped her tongue in her mouth as she unbuttoned her top, flipping the sides open at the end. Nicole made a loud purring noise as she slid her hand up her stomach, pressing into her abs.

       “Easy, Tiger,” the brunette giggled, cupping her cheeks with both hands and leaning down into a slow kiss. Nicole sat them up after a few minutes and pulled her shirt off all the way. She tugged lightly on the neck of Waverly’s dress and she nodded, so she slipped it off her arms. The brunette rolled off her lap and pulled it down her legs, tossing it away. She pushed Nicole back and unbuttoned her jeans, pulling them off her legs. She stopped for a second, looking upwards. She was wearing her normal American Eagle mid-thigh briefs, but instead of them being a plain color like usual, they had realistic pink and blue jellyfish on them. “These are cool!” She said with a big smile.

       Nicole sat up on her elbows, cocking an eyebrow at her, having _no clue_ what she was talking about. She looked down at what she was looking at. “Thank you?” She said with a small laugh.

       “Seriously! All the other ones I’ve seen you in are so _boring_. Why wear those when you can wear fun ones like these?!”

       “I’ll try to step up my underwear game just for you, Love,” she smiled. Waverly giggled and pushed herself up, combing her fingers through her hair as she leaned into a kiss. Nicole deepened it, sliding her tongue along her bottom lip, gaining access again. She gripped Waverly’s waist with her left hand, letting out a moan, when she shifted her thigh to her centre. The brunette pressed forward, feeling her wetness seep through the fabric layer separating them. She reached down and undid the redhead's bra, tossing it to the side. She kissed her way down her neck, across her collarbones, and down to her nipple. Nicole bit her lip, pushing her hips into her thigh as she was slowly rolling against her. She reached behind her, unhooking her bra, and pulled it off her arms. She clamped her thighs on Waverly’s hips, turning them over. She cupped her breast as she sat up, looking her in the eye, breathing unsteadily. “You’re flexible, right?” She asked with a smirk.

       Waverly’s eyes darkened. “Yes . . .” she answered slowly. Nicole flashed a cocky grin as she positioned her centre on top of the smaller girl’s, hearing Waverly’s breath hitch in her throat. Nicole grabbed her right leg and pushed it completely forward, pressing her hand into the back of her knee as it rested on the bed. “Shit,” the brunette breathed, gripping the sheets. Nicole ground her hips, licking her lips with a smile, hearing the moans starting to escape the smaller girl’s mouth after several seconds.

       She threw her head back with a grunt, rocking faster as her core heated up. “Fuck, Baby.” Waverly grabbed the pillow behind her head, whimpering her name.

       Nicole moved her hand down to her ankle and propped it up on her shoulder, gripping her thigh. She sucked in a breath, grinding as fast as she could. Waverly let out a wail, smacking her hand down onto the redhead’s thigh, gripping it with her nails. “ _FUCK_!” They weren’t sure who said it, for they both reached an earth-shattering orgasm at the same time. Nicole dropped her chin to her chest as she rode it out, feeling Waverly’s body quivering beneath her, sounds of pleasure storming her ears. She slowly fell forward onto her, both sweaty and breathing heavily.

       Over the sound of their breathing, they heard feet going down the stairs.

       Nicole pushed herself up quickly, looking at Waverly, eyes bulging out. “I thought you said no one was home?!”

       Waverly's mouth came open. “No one _is_ home!” Her breath caught her throat. “Oh, fudge nuggets. _Willa_.” She scrambled out from underneath the redhead and threw on her button-down. She tossed the police academy hoodie at Nicole from the headboard and rushed to her dresser pulling out the first pair of shorts she saw. She quickly pulled them up and buttoned the shirt, missing a few holes here and there.

       “You _forgot_ she was here?!” Nicole asked, head popping out from the top of the hoodie.

       “No! Wynonna said she was going with her, but I guess she didn’t.”

       “ _Waverly_ ,” Nicole said through her teeth. Waverly opened her door and dashed down the steps, finding Willa in the kitchen in her pajamas, sorting through their junk drawer. Nicole was right behind her, bashing her hip into the corner of the railing as she went to turn at the bottom. “ _Owwwwww_.” Willa turned around and crossed her arms with a huff.

       “Willa . . .” Waverly said slowly. “What’re you doing?”

       “Trying to find some _earplugs_!”

       The couple’s face’s blushed and Waverly walked up to the table. “I- we- Why aren’t you with Wynonna and Gus?”

       “I had _and still_ have a headache, so I decided to stay home and relax. Then, as I was down here getting some water, you two fumbled through the door. I figured you two would move up there and do _whatever_ quietly, but that was _not the case_!”

       “You were down here?” Nicole asked, voice still altered with a slight slur.

       “Yes, Officer Handsy, I _was_ down here. And _let me tell you_ , watching my sister get _ground_ on by a tall, tipsy redhead was definitely _not_ on my to-do list!”

       Nicole pursed her lips, rubbing the back of her neck. “Whoops,” she muttered, getting a backhand from her girlfriend.

       “Ok, look. I’m sorry you _saw_ and _hear_ some things that were unpleasant, but quite honestly, I think you deserve it for earlier.”

       “ _I_ didn’t think it was unpleasant,” Nicole chuckled to herself.

       Waverly pointed up the stairs, holding back a smile. “Go!” She ordered. Nicole stuck her bottom lip out. “Do you want to sleep on the floor?” Nicole groaned, trudging up the steps. She turned back to Willa, who looked to be losing her patience. “She loses her filter when she’s drunk,” Waverly sighed. The older Earp rolled her eyes. “How about I promise to forget about earlier and never jump you again if you don’t tell Wynonna,” she said with begging eyes.

       “Why can’t I tell her?” Willa asked, cocking an eyebrow.

       Waverly bit the side of her cheek, looking down at the floor before meeting her eyes again. “She doesn’t know we’re . . .”

       “Having sex?” Willa finished for her. “Why would she give a fuck?”

       “I don’t know. But, she keeps bugging me about it and I know it's for a reason.”

       Willa blinked at her for a few seconds. “Oook. I won’t tell her. But, you have to do my dishes for a week, too. I’ve really been scarred, Waverly.” 

       She let out a huff. “Fine.”

       Willa nodded, walking past her. “Next time you come home with her, make sure no one’s here, got it?” She said, giving the shorter girl an intimidating look. Waverly nodded with a gulp. “And, please, make your _boy-toy_ keep it in her pants for the rest of the night.”

       Waverly clenched her jaw. “ _Hey_!”

       Willa rolled her eyes as she walked up the stairs. “Just stop fucking each other!” She groaned. Waverly heard her door slam. She walked back into the kitchen and pulled the whiskey out of the cabinet, taking a swig.

       She heard feet coming back down the stairs. “Willa, what the fuck-” She paused, seeing Nicole standing at the bottom. “Oh, hey, Baby.” Waverly slumped down onto a chair at the table.

       Nicole walked over and sat across from her.“ _Boy-toy_ ,” she said, nodding her head in mock approval. Waverly let out a single laugh, taking another drink. The redhead let out a groan, reaching across the table and snatching the bottle from her hands. “You’re _not_ Wynonna. This is _not_ how we solve our problems.”

       Waverly gave her a dirty look. She sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. “I’m sorry. I really thought she went with them,” she grumbled into them.

       “It’s finneee,” the redhead slurred. “She’ll live.”

       Waverly dropped her hands to the table, a small smile on her lips. “I dunno, man, we were being pretty loud.”

       Nicole chuckled. “That’s cause _I’m_ crazy good in bed,” she smirked, taking a drink of the whiskey.

       The brunette rolled her eyes playfully, standing up and taking the bottle from her, reaching up and putting it back in the cabinet. As she reached up, her shirt rose up, and the tight spandex shorts she had on caught Nicole’s eye. Waverly turned around, finding her eyes still locked downwards. She leaned forward and tilted her chin up for her. “You’ve got a little drool there, Deputy,” she giggled.

       Nicole cleared her throat, standing up, pushing her hand through her hair gently. “Sorry, you’re just too beautiful."

       “Who, me or my ass?” She asked with a laugh.

       “You, Darlin . . . Your . . . _ass-ets_ are just a plus.”

       Waverly smacked her hand on her arm, laughing into her chest. Nicole smiled, wrapping her arms around her middle as she leaned back on the counter. The brunette gripped the back of her hoodie, pulling herself closer to the redhead. Nicole kissed her forehead when she propped her chin up to look at her. “So. What are we gonna do now that Willa ruined our fun?”

       “I dunno. What d’you wanna do?”

       “I don’t know, that’s why I asked you!”

       “Well . . . I think we can be quiet,” Nicole smirked, moving her hands to her hips and dropping her head to her neck.

       Waverly pulled back, giving her a look. “They are gonna be home soon, Nic.” And just like that, they heard the doorknob jiggling. “Speak of the devil,” she muttered.

       Nicole chuckled, giving her a kiss. “You’re in my shirt, Wave,” she reminded with a smirk. Waverly’s eyes widened and she dashed up the stairs as the door opened and Gus and Wynonna walked in.

       “Hiya, Haughy! . . . Why are you in my kitchen?” Wynonna asked, tossing her things onto the couch, which Gus picked up and put away.

       “I needed a drink,” she said, pushing herself away from the counter.

       Wynonna nodded, walking in and grabbing the whiskey out of the cabinet. She looked at Nicole, squinting her eyes. “Where’re your pants?”

       Nicole cocked an eyebrow, looking down. She realizing she was, in fact, standing in the Earp kitchen in her underwear. She looked back up at her, eyes wide, mouth open. “Uhmm, they’re upstairs! We’re going to bed and I really don’t want to sleep in jeans. That’d be uncomfortable, yea.” She began to walk towards the stairs.

       “You’re drunk, Haught Shit.” Gus walked over and tutted at her, taking the bottle from her hands and putting it away.

       “Pshh, am not! I wouldn’t get _drunk_ in a club if I was supposed to be watching your _sister_.”

       Wynonna’s eyes widened. “You took my baby sister to a club!?”

       “You’re baby sister took _me_ to a club, excuse you. And, in case you were wondering, no she is not drunk. She had to drive us back from Calgary.”

       Wynonna shook her head quickly. “You went to a _club_ in _Calgary_?!”

       Nicole smiled a toothy smile. “I need to stop talking,” she muttered to herself. “G’night, Earp. Night, Gus.” She began to go up the stairs.

       “Nicole,” Gus called.

       She stopped, turning to her. “Yea?” 

       She tossed a bottle of water at her. “Drink. You’re working on the house tomorrow, don’t need you moping around.” Nicole nodded. “G’night, Dear.”

       “Night, Red. I like your jellyfish,” Wynonna smirked.

       The redhead laughed. “Mhm, your sister said the same thing,” she said with a wink. She watched Wynonna clench her jaw.

       “Nicole!” Waverly scolded from her room. She climbed the rest of the stairs and walked back in. “Seriously?!”

       “What? You did,” she said, biting the inside of her lip to hold in a laugh. Waverly rolled her eyes as she picked up their clothes from the floor. She set Nicole’s in a pile on a chair and stripped her shirt, placing it on top. She walked over to her closet to get a clean one. Nicole walked up beside her. “ _PEEP_!” She squeaked in a high pitched voice as she pinched her nipple.

       “Stop!” Waverly giggled, smacking her hand away. “Go turn Netflix on, you Perv.”

       Nicole laughed, turning towards the bed. She kneeled on the bed and flicked the covers around, walking around the edge of the bed, searching the floor. “Where’s the clicker?” She asked.

       Waverly pulled a t-shirt over her head and turned around. “The _what_?” She asked, cocking an eyebrow.

       “The clicker.”

       Waverly walked towards her. “What the hell is a clicker?” Nicole looked at her confusedly. “The _remote_?”

       “Same-difference,” she grumbled, lifting up the pillow and finding it.

       “You’re weird,” Waverly sighed, plopping down on the bed.

       Nicole laid down next to her, crossing her ankles. “I think we’ve established that already,” Waverly grumbled something Nicole didn’t quite catch and took the remote from her hands, flicking the TV on. She navigated it to Netflix and clicked on the Friends episode they left off on. The redhead grabbed the water bottle from the nightstand. “You wanna see a party trick?” She asked with a shit-eating grin. Waverly gave her a look that said “I know you are gonna show me either way.” She sat up and opened the water bottle, crunching the bottle, swallowing all the water in one gulp.

       Waverly blinked at her. “Wow, you’re so cool,” she said with a lisp. Nicole tossed the bottle, hitting her on the forehead. She rolled her eyes and Nicole flicked the light off, laying back down next to her, resting her head on her chest and hitching her leg up on top of her’s.

       They made it through 2 or 3 episodes, but Waverly lightly rubbing her fingers along the Officer’s spine put her to sleep. And like karma, the steady breathing against her front caused Waverly to drift asleep soon after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awe. 
> 
> This was fun to write. 
> 
> Hope ya'll liked it. Sorry if these notes are very bland. My mind is being overwhelmed by the Glee songs being blasted through the TV from my lovely twin sis. She decided she wanted to watch it for the 3rd time. 
> 
> Pray for me.


	28. Are You Turned On by My Girlfriend?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole helps fix up the Homestead, but not without some interruptions, of course!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have to say, this chapter starts a little slow, but just wait for it, we get interesting, I think...
> 
> Enjoy!

       “Is there any reason why you are knocking on my door at 6 in the morning, Holliday?” Wynonna grumbled.

       Doc removed his hat. “I’d like to get an early start working on the house, and I don’t have Officer Haught’s number, so I was wondering if I could get that from you?”

       Wynonna blinked at him for a few seconds before letting him in. “Would you like me to go wake her up for you?” Wynonna asked with an annoyed smile. He looked confused. “She’s upstairs, Doc.”

       He made an O shape with his mouth and nodded. “I will be . . . waiting right here,” he smiled, leaning back against the couch.

       Wynonna grumbled something and walked up the stairs, giving Waverly’s bedroom door a knock. “Haught Pantssss,” she sang quietly, cracking the door open a bit. She didn’t hear anything, so she walked in. “Haught Pants, get u-” She paused, looking at the couple with a small smile forming on her face. Nicole was still cuddled up on Waverly, who had a protective arm hugging her shoulder. “This is . . . dare I say . . . _adorable_.” She moved closer to the bed, but a blue box on her sister’s dresser caught her eye. She recognized it quickly as her polaroid camera. With a smirk, she walked over to it and picked it up. She slowly climbed up on the edge of the bed and stood up, raising the camera to her eye and snapping a picture of the two of them. She dropped her hands and waited for the film to come out of the bottom. Her lip twitched a little bit. “I am suddenly realizing how creepy this is,” she mumbled to herself, hopping off the bed. She shook the film, watching it develop, and clipped it up on Waverly’s wall next to all her other Polaroids. She sighed, placing the camera down and picking up a fly swatter. She walked over to Nicole’s side and smacked her on the ass. “Wakey, wakey, eggs and bac-ey!” She sang.

       Nicole jerked forward, quickly grabbing where she hit her. “What the fuck, Wynonna,” she grumbled groggily, eyes still basically shut.

       “Cole,” Waverly mumbled, voice cracking from sleep.

       Nicole sat up, placing her casted hand on her stomach, making patterns with her thumb, and rubbing her eyes with the other. “What do you want?”

       Wynonna chuckled. " _You_ ,” she bopped her on the head with the fly swatter, “have work to do. Doc’s downstairs already.”

       The redhead blinked at her, grabbing her phone from the nightstand. “At 6:14 in the morning?” She asked with no emotion.

       “Yep!” She smiled, clapping her hands once. “You have to go pick up the materials still, too, so I’d get a’movin.” Nicole flopped back down on the bed as Wynonna walked out. She rolled over to face her girlfriend.

       Waverly scooted closer to her. “My Cole,” she mumbled, burying her face in her chest and gripping her sleeve.

       Nicole sighed, rubbing her hand along her back. “I gotta get going, Love. I want to get as much work done as we can today.”

       “No.” Nicole rolled over, throwing her legs over the side of the bed. “Nooo.”

       “Go back to sleep, Wave,” she said, throwing a smile over her shoulder as she stood up. She changed back into her clothes from the night before and sat back down on the bed.

       “Be careful today, mk?” The sleepy brunette mumbled into the pillow.

       “We will,” Nicole said as she laid down. “I’ll see you later.” Waverly turned her head and Nicole gave her a chaste kiss, standing back up and leaving the room, shutting the door behind her. She walked downstairs and poured herself a cup of coffee into a travel mug she found.

       “Who knew she owned pants?” Wynonna snickered as she walked out of the bathroom.

       Nicole gave her a look, walking over to John Henry. “Ready, Amigo?” She sighed, taking a drink of her coffee.

       “Yes, Ma’am,” he answered, pushing himself off the couch and heading for the door.

       “First. Call me Nicole or Officer Haught, I don’t care. When _you_ say _Ma’am_ it makes me sound old. Second. You are taking me to my house so I can change.” He nodded, opening the door and heading towards Wynonna’s truck that now had a trailer attached to it. “Please tell me you already did measurements and have it all ready to pick up,” she begged.

       “It’d be quite foolish not to,” he said with a grin, pulling away from the Homestead.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Their first stop after Nicole’s house was the lumber yard. Nicole stepped out of the truck, now dressed in a white t-shirt, blue, black, and white flannel, distressed skinny jeans, the black combat boots she had worn the other day, and a black snapback with rainbow lines stitched across the front, hair hiding underneath in her normal french braid. She and Doc walked up to the front desk, finding a half-asleep man sitting behind the counter. “How can I help ya?” He yawned.

       “We have a load to pick up. It’s probably under Earp,” Doc informed, removing his hat and smoothing his hair back.

       The man searched through a stack of papers. “Here we are. Wood siding and furring strips, it says?”

       “Yes, Sir,” Nicole nodded.

       “Alright. We make people pay before they load it. Are you guys going to need help, there’s a fee for that.”

       “I think we’ll be alright,” Doc said, placing his hat back on and pulling a debit card out of his pocket. The name on the front read Gus McCready. She figured Gus had offered to pay.

       “It’s gonna be . . . $12,200,” the man said.

       She watched Doc’s mouth fall open. “ _Good gracious_ ,” he gulped. She was not going to let her _girlfriend’s aunt that had practically raised her_ go broke.

       “We could break that down into monthly payments if you would prefer,” the man informed, looking at Doc’s rather pale face.

       Nicole quickly dug her wallet out of her pocket, handing the man a card. “I got it,” she said, looking over to him with a smile.

       “Officer Haught-”

       “I said I got it, Doc. Go start loading, I’ll meet you out there in a sec.” He slowly nodded, pushing the card back in his pocket and walking out of the building. The man handed back her card. She thanked him and pulled her work glove out of her back pocket, slipping it onto her left hand as she walked out the door. She watched Doc back the truck and trailer up to a tarp-covered pile of wood. He hopped out and pulled the tarp off, revealing some skinny siding, wider siding, and furring strips, all in individual piles.

       “How are we going to go about doing this?” He asked.

       “I say we put them in the trailer, keeping them in their piles. We can put the windows in the bed, it’d be less likely for anything to happen to them.” Doc nodded, pulling his work gloves on.

       They had everything loaded in about 20 minutes, so they got back in the truck and headed for Home Depot. “Ya’ll have all the equipment already, right? Like table saws and nail guns?” Doc looked over to her with a cocked eyebrow. “Oh, jeez.” She pulled her phone out and called Wynonna.

       “Wassup, Haught Bod,” she answered.

       “Mr. Old Fart doesn’t know if ya’ll already have the equipment we need.”

       “Ok . . . Like?”

       “Table saws, nail guns . . .”

       “The big circle thing that cuts things?”

       “Yea. Do you have that stuff?”

       “Nope.”

       Nicole groaned. “ _Fantastic_. Ok, bye Wynonna.” She hung up and turned to Doc. “You are going to go get the windows and I am going to go get tools. Got it?” He nodded as they pulled into the parking lot.

       Nicole got a cart and headed off her way and Doc went his. She picked up a table saw, 2 nail guns and nails, 2 tape measures, some levels, and a pack of carpenter pencils. She strolled over to the windows section and found Doc walking towards her with 8 windows in his cart. They headed towards the checkout.

       “They’re really fine with us redoing everything?” She asked. She knew the house meant a lot to the Earp’s. And they were replacing everything on the outside.

       “Gus talked to them about it. Wynonna wasn’t too fond of the idea, but when she explained that the wood was basically rotting, she gave in.” Nicole nodded, loading stuff on the belt. The total for it all was over $3,000, so Nicole decided to pay for it again. They walked out to the truck.

       “I don’t see how you have $15,000 laying around,” Doc grumbled.

       “I don’t see how you didn’t figure this would cost a lot,” she said, raising her eyebrows at him.

       He pursed his lips. “Things were a lot cheaper in my day,” he sighed.

       “Yea cause you had to go chop the tree down yourself,” Nicole smirked as she started loading things in the back.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Doc and Nicole had all the old siding off of the front of the house by 10 AM. “Break time,” Doc sighed, sitting down on the porch and pulling a flask out of his pocket. Nicole wiped her face of dirt and sweat with the bottom of her shirt, walking inside.

       “How’s it going, Dear?” Gus asked from the kitchen where she was cooking.

       “Good. Ripped everything off the front. Bout to start cutting.”

       She nodded with a smile. “Does John Henry still have my card?”

       Nicole grabbed a water from the fridge. “Yea, I’ll go get it from him.”

       “How much was it all,” she asked, turning around and rubbing her forehead.

       Nicole’s heart rate sped up a bit. She slowly turned to face her. “Uh. I covered it,” she said with a small smile. Gus furrowed her eyebrows. “Cause it was . . . a lot.”

       “But-”

       “15K, Gus.”

       Her eyes widened. “How did you-”

       “Don’t worry about it. I just wasn’t gonna put all of that on you.”

       Her face softened. “I would smother you in a hug right now, but you are quite nasty.”

       Nicole laughed, looking down at herself. “Good decision.” 

       The older woman smiled, turning back to the stove. “Get Doc in here, brunch’s ready” She nodded and walked outside, calling him in and getting Gus’ card from him. The Earp sisters were trampling down the stairs when they walked back inside.

       “You two stink,” Wynonna scoffed when she walked past them.

       “I can’t imagine why,” Doc joked. Nicole kicked her shin as she walked past her to go in the bathroom to clean up a bit.

       When she came back out, Doc and Wynonna were flicking each other, Willa was glumly looking at her phone, and Waverly was helping Gus set the table. She spun around her, taking the plate of pancakes out of her hands and kissing her on the cheek.

       “Hi,” she giggled.

       “Hi yourself,” Nicole smiled, placing the plate down and taking a seat. Waverly sat down next to her.

       “As if people didn’t already know you were gay,” Waverly sighed, tapping the bill of her hat. The Officer smacked her with a pancake.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Wynonna!” Waverly shouted from upstairs. No answer. “Wynonna!” She shouted again, louder this time. Still no answer. With a loud exaggerated sigh, she slammed her book down and went downstairs, finding Wynonna’s face locked on something outside. She walked over to her. “ _Wynonna_ ,” she huffed.

       Wynonna turned to her, mouth open. “ _Haught-Damn_ ,” she breathed. Waverly cocked her eyebrow, moving to the door next to her, mouth immediately dropping open. She saw Nicole lugging a pile of wood towards the house in nothing but a sports bra and jeans. It was unseasonably warm for March in Canada, even Doc was shirtless cutting wood at the table saw. “You are one lucky woman.”

       “Are you turned on by _my girlfriend_ , Wynonna?” Waverly asked with a smirk, crossing her arms.

       “Pshh, no!” Waverly rolled her eyes. “I need to go outside to . . . yea.” The smaller girl followed her out and walked over to the truck, hopping up onto the hood that just so happened to be facing the redhead's direction. She was starting to put the new siding up on the left side of the Homestead. She could see all the muscles in her upper body working as she moved along. Arms flexing when she picked up a new piece of wood. Back clenching as she put it into position against the furring strips and nailed it into place. She was pretty sure she was drooling at this point.

       Nicole caught her gawk after a few minutes when she went to get another piece of siding. She turned to face her, sticking her tongue out slightly between her teeth with a smirk. She turned her hat around and pulled her wireless earbuds out of her ears, purposely flexing as she did so. She swaggered towards the brunette, placing her hands on the hood on either side of her legs. “Whatcha doin?” She asked, raising her eyebrows above a wide smile.

       Waverly started breathing heavier than she already was. “Just . . . watching the gun show,” she said, looking down at her with wide eyes.

       “Ms. Earp, I do not believe you paid admission,” she drawled.

       Her cheeks flushed. “And how shall I go about doing that?” Nicole licked her lips, gripping her legs and pulling her forward so her hips hit her middle. The brunette gasped slightly, slowly looking up at her. She smiled a cocky smile, pushing her legs behind her back and sliding her hands under her thighs, lifting her off the hood and walking around to the side, pinning her against it.

       “That’s hot,” Waverly whispered, grabbing her neck and pulling her sweaty face into a kiss. She moved her hands down to her arms, gripping her biceps and sliding her tongue into her mouth.

       Wynonna was leaning forward, hands on the table saw. “Are you guys gonna get the front done today?” She asked Doc.

       “With the rate she’s moving, we will . . .” He trailed off when he looked forward, seeing the couple. He quickly averted his eyes back to Wynonna, face blushed the slightest bit.

       She squinted at him, turning around and seeing her baby sister pinned against her truck. “Yuuuck,” she complained, making a face when she turned back around. With a grumble, she started walking towards them. They seemed to be too distracted with one another to hear her approach, so she slowly leaned against the cab, a few feet away from them. “HAUGHT!”

       They quickly pulled away from each other. Waverly brought a hand to her mouth. “Oww, you bit my tongue.”

       She gave her a sorry look. Wynonna scooted closer to them. “Are we having fun over here?” She asked sweetly.

       Nicole shot her a glare. “I _was_ having fun, but then you came along.”

       “Nic,” Waverly said through her teeth. She set her down with a wink.

       “I don’t think Gus is paying you to make out with Babygirl,” Wynonna huffed. 

       The Deputy cocked an eyebrow. “She wants to _pay_ me?”

       “Uh, ya,” the older Earp confirmed.

       “Wh- No. I’m just helping you guys out, I don’t want her to pay me.”

       Wynonna raised her eyebrows at her in disbelief. “You’re gonna _refuse_ money?!” 

       Nicole blinked at her, “Yes, I am. Tell Doc to take a break.” She turned around and headed for the Homestead.

       “She seriously signed up to do this not wanting to get paid for it?” Wynonna asked her sister.

       “ _I_ didn’t know she was getting paid.”

       “Well, I mean, after she bought all the materials, I’d think she would want a _little_ something back for it.”

       Waverly widened her eyes. “She what?!”

       Wynonna leaned back against the truck. “Yea, Doc said she wouldn’t let him use Gus’ card. Sum about her having 15K lying around, I dunno.”

       “ _15,000 DOLLARS_?!” The younger girl exclaimed.

       “Apparently wood siding is really expensive,” Wynonna shrugged. Waverly started for the Homestead.

 

**___**

 

       “Gus!” Nicole shouted as she walked in the door.

       The woman turned around from the sink, eyebrow cocked. “Nicole,” she answered.

       Nicole walked over and placed her hand on the back of the chair.“You’re not paying me,” she said bluntly.

       The older woman dried her hands off. “Yes, I am.”

       She shook her head. “No, I won’t- You don’t need to pay me, I’m just helping ya’ll out.”

       Gus furrowed her brow. “Sit.” Nicole did so, removing her hat. Gus sat down in front of her and poked her finger into the table. “ _You_ took $15,000 out of your own pocket to _help_. The least I can do is repay you a little bit.”

       “But-” She bit her cheek, letting out a sigh. “Family doesn’t pay family where I come from, so I’m not gonna take it. You can pay Doc all you want, but I’m fine, ok?”

       Gus smiled, tapping her thumb on the table. “We need more of your kind to walk into town,” she sighed. Nicole smiled.

       The front door swung open. “Nicole!” Gus gave her a worried look.

       “I think I’m in trouble,” Nicole muttered to her before standing up and placing her hat back on. “Yes, Darlin’?”

       Waverly stomped over to her and crossed her arms. Nicole held back a smile as she mimicked her stance. “Why’d you do that!?” She demanded, throwing her arms out in front of her.

       Nicole raised her eyebrows at her, dropping her arms to her sides. “Why’d I do what?”

       “Why’d you pay for all of it?”

       She rubbed her hand down her face, tired of hearing that question. “Because I wanted to,” she sighed, walking past her.

       Waverly grabbed her arm and she turned back around. “Don’t you think you should have _at least_ talked to me about it first before you blew 15K?”

       Nicole shifted her stance. “Wave, it’s my money. I told you I only use it on important things . . . and this was pretty important to me.”

       Waverly clenched her jaw and fists, tapping one against her side. Nicole gulped, watching her eyes well up with tears. “God, I love you,” she breathed, wrapping her arms around her middle. Nicole let out the breath she didn't know she was holding, slowly hugging her arms around her shoulders. Waverly pulled back after a few seconds, wiping her eyes. “You stink,” she giggled.

       “Knowing how much you've been _all up on me_ _literally_ , you probably stink, too,” she winked. Waverly smacked her stomach. Nicole smirked, cupping her cheek, giving her a kiss.

       She smiled up at her when she pulled away. “Back to work, _Officer_ ,” she husked, tapping her pointer finger on her collarbone.

       The redhead dropped her hand to her ass. “Yes, Ma’am.”  

       “ _Haught_ ,” Gus growled from the sink.

       Her eyes widened. “Sorry!” She squeaked, running towards the door. She noticed the black SUV parked outside. “Hey, Dolls,” she said, walking up to him. He had seemed to have taken over her position nailing the siding.

       “Officer Hau-” His voice stuck in his throat when he looked up at her, eyes quickly glancing at her body. He cleared his throat, standing up. “I, uh, thought I would come and help you guys out.”

       “Ok, cool,” she smiled, shoving her hand in her pocket. “You sure you don’t need me to go put my shirt back on?” She smirked, throwing her other thumb over her shoulder.

       He smiled a fake smile. “Cute.”

       She laughed, shaking her head. She plugged one of her earbuds back in and shoved a piece of wood at him.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       It was 8 PM and Nicole’s hand was blistered from ditching her glove hours prior. Her feet hurt from standing up all day. Her brain hurt from doing math. But most of all, her eyes hurt from the mixture of sawdust and squinting in the dark for the last hour. She couldn’t do it anymore. She peeked her head inside the door. “Baby!”

       “What?!” Waverly shouted from upstairs.

       “C’mere!” She shut the door and Waverly came outside a few seconds later.

       “Aw, you put clothes on,” she frowned, sticking her bottom lip out.

       “It's, like, 45 degrees out now.”

       Waverly smirked at her. “What’d you need?”

       “Do ya’ll have a light or something? My eyeballs are going to fall out of my head if I have to squint at one more measurement.”

       Waverly furrowed her brow, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her underneath the very dim porch light, tilting her head towards her. “Niccc.” She pulled her eyelids down gently, staring at her bloodshot eyes. “You’re eyes are so red!”

       Nicole pursed her lips, taking her hands and bringing them down to the collar of her flannel. “That’s why I need a light,” she smiled. Waverly went to say something, but she put a finger to her lips. “We have like _2 hours_ of work left and then we will be done with the front.” The brunette clenched her jaw. Nicole kissed her forehead.

       “I’ll get you a headlamp,” she sighed, walking inside. She walked back out and Nicole put her hand out as she cut a piece of wood. Waverly gasped, yanking her by the wrist back into the porch light.

       “Wav _erly_ ,” the redhead sputtered, almost tripping up the step.

       “You’re hand is _bleeding_ and _blistered_!”

       Nicole sighed loudly. “ _Babe_ , I love you. And I know you care about me, but I have _work to do_. You can doctor me up when I am _done_.”

       Waverly bit her cheek, turning her hand over and running her thumb along the top of her hand. Nicole flinched slightly, so Waverly looked down at the bruising along her knuckles. “Nico-”

       “I am fine, it's from that asshole last night.” She let go of her hand and took the headlamp, turning her hat around and placing it over the top of it. “I’ll be done before you know it,” she assured, flashing a dimpled smile. Waverly smiled slightly with a nod, heading back inside. Her lips formed a straight line and her eyes dimmed as she walked upstairs.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The Officer handed Dolls the final piece of wood, and he nailed it in place, climbing down off the ladder. “Thank God Almighty!” Doc exclaimed, falling back onto the grass and staring at the stars above him. Dolls pulled his gloves off and Nicole took her hat off, sliding her hand down her hair, feeling the sting from her hand.

       “Good work today, Boys,” she sighed. They both grumbled something, saying goodbye to one another, and headed their separate ways. Nicole trudged over to the truck and grabbed her bag from the passenger’s seat, heading inside, right to the bathroom upstairs to shower.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       She walked out of the bathroom, now in a grey MTV tee and Nike cotton shorts, headlamp in hand. She walked towards her girlfriend’s room. “Hey, Wave? Where do you want me to pu-” She stopped at the door, her slightly burned face going pale. Waverly was sitting up on her bed, knees to her chest, slowly rocking back and forth. She threw her bag and the light down, rushing over and jumping onto the bed, pulling her onto her lap. “Waves, look at me.” She cupped her cheek, tilting her head up. Her eyes were glazed over in a daze. “Waverly, c’mon,” she repeated, voice wavering. She rubbed her thumb on her cheek. “Baby.” A tear rolled down the redhead’s face, but she quickly wiped it with her shoulder.

       Waverly blinked, meeting her teary eyes. Nicole let out a breath, hugging her head to her chest. "How're you done already?" She mumbled.

       Nicole cocked an eyebrow, letting her out of the hug and resting her hand on her knee. "What do you mean?"

       "You said you still had, like, 2 hours left." 

       "Baby, that was  _2 hours ago._ " She realized she must have been dazed the whole time. "Wave . . ." She choked out, hugging her again.  

       “I thought it was him,” she said, barely a whisper.

       The Officer looked down at her. “You thought who was wh-” It took a second to click. “Baby, I’m _so_ sorry. I shouldn’t have turned my back on you, it wouldn’t have-”

       Waverly shook her head. “It’s not your fault . . . I guess I’m just the pretty girl that every guy wants to rape.” She blinked hard and a tear fell.

       “W-Wave. That’s not true . . . You don’t even know what his intentions were.” Nicole wiped her face of another tear.

       Waverly dropped her glance. “Trust me, I know _exactly_ what his intentions were,” she mumbled.

       “How?” Nicole asked gently, tipping her head back up.

       She swallowed. “What do you think he was _whispering_ to me, Nic?”

       Her face softened with a frown. “Oh, Baby . . .” Waverly brought both hands to her face, leaning her head on the redhead’s shoulder as sobs started to shake through her. Nicole pulled her closer as her own tears started to fall. And she let them.

       A few minutes later, the Deputy heard footsteps approach the door. “Aw, Waverly, d’you get a papercut?” Willa asked, sticking her bottom lip out.

       The Officer snapped. She slid out from beneath Waverly and stormed the door. The eldest Earp’s eyes went wide and she backed up. “You know what, Willa?! I am seriously _this fucking close_ t-”

       Waverly placed her hand over her mouth, pushing her back, much like she had at the pizza place. “Stop,” she sniffled, shaking her head. Nicole dropped her shoulders, pushing her hand through her still-wet hair. Waverly took her hand off her mouth and turned back to the bed.

       “Gosh, Waverly, tame your _fucking_ dog,” Willa scoffed, walking away.

       Waverly spun around, sprinting towards the door. “YOU MOTHERFUCKING SON OF A GODDA-” Nicole wrapped one arm around her stomach, picking her up off the ground, and covered her mouth with the other. Waverly kicked her legs as Nicole pushed the door closed with her foot and carried her over towards the bed.

       “ _Willa, get your ass down here right now_!” They heard Gus snap.

       Waverly was still struggling in her arms. Nicole dropped the hand that was covering her mouth. “Let me kill her,” she growled.

       “Nope,” Nicole sighed, tightening her grip as she started to grab at her arm. “Stop it, Wave.” She stopped moving. “You done?”

       “Yea.”

       “So, you can promise me that when I put you down, you’re not gonna run for the door?”

Waverly sighed. “Fine.” Nicole set her down, watching her carefully. She looked quickly down at her hand, seeing she had ripped a blister open. And Waverly caught her. She grabbed her elbow. “C’mon.” She brunette drug her to the bathroom and sat her down on the toilet lid.

       “Wave-” She stopped at the glare she got from her.

       “Don’t start.” Nicole sighed, leaning back. Waverly took her hand and examined it. “Jeez, Nic.” She pulled some stuff out of the medicine cabinet. “Peroxide. C’mere,” she said, wiggling the bottle.

       “Noo,” Nicole complained, sticking her lip out.

       “Would you like to have to get your hand cut off?” Waverly asked, raising her eyebrows. The redhead sighed, stepping towards her and putting her hand over the sink. “Not a lot, Babe.”

       “Mk.” She began to pour it, grabbing Nicole’s wrist with one hand and holding the bottle with the other.

       And it hurt . . . a lot more than she remembered it did. “Fuckkkkk! Holy shit, ok Wave, that’s good!” She ignored her. “Waverly!” Still ignored her. “Babe, c’mon!”

       “Nicole, you better shut the fuck up, there is still crap in it!”

       Nicole clenched her jaw, gritting her teeth. She stopped after a few more seconds, but still held her hand there, letting it bubble up. “Why are you so mean to me?” She grumbled.

       Waverly rinsed her hand off. “Because I love you." She kissed her cheek.

       “Mhm.”

       Waverly bumped her with her hip. “Sit.” She did so and propped her elbow up on her leg, palm up. Waverly started rubbing Neosporin on each blister and cut.

       Someone knocked on the door. “If it’s Willa, go fuck yourself,” Nicole grumbled. Gus peeked her head through the door. Her eyes widened. “Sorry.”

       “I expected more if I’m being honest,” she chuckled, moving into the room.

       “I _was_ gonna add _with a cactus_ ,” the redhead smiled, but quickly winced, looking back down to her hand.

       “Quit moving,” Waverly mumbled.

       “ _Quit moving_ ,” the redhead mimicked. Waverly looked up at her, eyebrows raised as she pushed down on one of the open blisters with the cotton swab. “OW! _Ow_ , ok, I’m sorry!” Waverly smirked, continuing on.

       Gus shook her head at them. “She won’t be bothering you two anymore, I hope."

       “Why?” They asked.

       “Well . . .”

 

**\-  -  -**

 

       Gus was sitting on the couch when she heard Willa make the papercut comment. She took a drag of her beer, ears perking up when she heard Nicole yelling. She stood up and walked to the bottom of the steps, wanting to make sure no one hurt anybody. She had heard from Wynonna how Willa had been tormenting them all the time. “Gosh, Waverly, tame your _fucking_ dog.” She inhaled sharply, clenching her fingers around her beer. She heard the unmistakable scream of Waverly Earp that was cut short and watched Willa go to enter her room.

       “ _Willa, get your ass down here right now_!” She snapped. Willa turned around, looking down at her with her eyebrows raised. She pointed in front of her and the older sister sulked down the stairs. “Get on the couch.” She sat down with a huff and Gus sat on the opposite end, setting her beer down. “What the hell is your problem, Girl?”

       “What? I was just messing with them and then she went batshit crazy on me!”

       “I’m not talking about _just_ now, I am talking about how you _never_ have anything nice to say to either of them.”

       Willa scoffed. “What do you mean _me_? Did you hear that Waverly tackled me yesterday?!”

       Gus nodded. “Yes, I did. I also heard about the horrible things you said that caused her to.”

       “She threatened to kick me out!”

       “Good! I would have, too, if you talked about my partner like that! Nicole’s been nothing but nice to you.” 

       She rolled her eyes. “Oh please, just because they are screwing each other doesn’t make them _together_! What they have is _pointless_ , and I am trying to make her realize that!”

       Gus scowled and stood up. “Get out,” she said pointing towards the door.

       Willa stood with wide eyes. “You can’t kick me out,” she snapped.

       “Really? Cause that’s what I’m doing.”

       “You’re choosing _Dike Magee_ over me?! I am your _niece_ , Gus!”

       She clenched her jaw, stepping towards her. “No one talks about my family like that.” Willa’s mouth dropped open. “Go. I don’t want to see you until you have a changed mindset and a sincere apology for both of them.” She huffed, turning around and storming out the door. Gus shook her head, heading towards the stairs.

 

**\-  -  -**

 

       “Thank _God_! I was seriously about to snap her neck,” Waverly sighed. Nicole kicked her leg, giving her a look. “What? I was.”

       The redhead rolled her eyes. “Really, though. Thank you, Gus,” she said with a smile as Waverly put a bandage around her finger. Gus nodded, squeezing her shoulder.

       Wynonna popped her head in the door. “Why is Willa standing at the end of the driveway?” She asked.

       “I kicked her out,” Gus said, turning to her.

       “Wh-Why?”

       “She called me a dog,” Nicole informed, looking over to her.

       “We’re tired of her bull,” Waverly sighed, taping gauze to her palm.

       Wynonna nodded in agreement, casting her eyes to the Officer's hand. “Damn, Haught Potato, you’re a fragile little snowflake,” she laughed.

       “Yea. And this snowflake can have you on your ass in 2 seconds flat,” she smirked.

       Wynonna rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you can.”

       Nicole stood up, puffing her chest. “Oh, you want to test it out?” 

       The older Earp stepped back. “No, I-I think I’m good.” The trio in the bathroom laughed.

       Wynonna scowled at them before smiling a shit-eating grin. “Hey, did I tell you that I found the video of you doing that body shot off me the other night?”

       Nicole’s face went ghost white, mouth falling open. “ _WHAT!??!_ ” Waverly exclaimed. “You better be lying,” she growled, turning to her sister.

       “Wynonna . . . ?” The redhead asked nervously.

       “Scout’s honor,” she sighed, holding up three fingers.

       “NICOLE!” She barked, smacking her arm.

       She cracked her neck. “I’d suggest you start running right about now,” Nicole seethed, turning to the darker brunette. They both took off. Nicole chased her down the stairs and tackled her in the living room.

       “Oh damn,” Gus muttered, looking to Waverly. They were watching from the top of the steps.

       Nicole flipped her over. “Show me,” she demanded, grabbing her face. Wynonna dug her phone out of her pocket from under Nicole’s leg. She sneakily sent it to Waverly before turning the phone around. Nicole let her face go and grabbed the phone, pressing play.

 

_The camera panned around the club, stopping at Wynonna laying on the bar with her shirt rolled up. There was a lady putting a line of salt down her stomach. It quickly panned over to a very drunk Nicole. “Do you have any words of wisdom before you do this?” The lady filming it asked._

_Nicole grabbed the phone with one of her hands._ _“Waves,” she slurred. “If you see this, I’m so sorry. I am realllly bad with peer pressure.” She handed the phone back to the lady and walking over to Wynonna._

_“Haught Shit! Let’s do this!” The brunette drunkenly sputtered. People that were watching started cheering. Nicole got herself up on the bar and straddled her legs. The lady put the lime in Wynonna’s mouth and the shot in between her legs._

_The faint sound of people chanting got louder._ _“Body shot, body shot, body shot!” Nicole smirked, locking her hands behind her back and dipping her head to her crotch, grabbing the shot and tipping it back. The lady took it from her mouth. She licked the line of salt off her stomach and grabbed her shoulders, leaning forward and getting the lime. The chanting suddenly changed. “Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!” Nicole pulled back a little, looking down at Wynonna wide-eyed. She smirked, pulling her head down into a kiss. People were cheering and clapping. The redhead pulled back, sitting up and punching the air. She stumbled down off the bar, tossing the lime away, and walked back over to the camera._

_“Love you, Wave,” she slurred with a nervous smile._

 

       The video ended. Nicole slowly looked to Wynonna with a horrified look on her face. She quickly deleted the video and deleted it from her recently deleted. She looked back down at her. “WHY DID YOU LET ME DO THAT?!?!? I AM A FUCKING COP, WYNONNA!!! DO YOU KNOW HOW FUCKING DRUNK I MUST HAVE BEEN TO EVEN _THINK_ ABOUT DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!?!” 

       “Honestly, Haughty, I don’t remember it either. I found the video and knew I would torture you with it one day,” she smirked.

       Nicole groaned, rolling off of her lap. “I hate you,” she grumbled, covering her eyes with her arm. “Don’t give her details, please?”

       Wynonna snickered. “Too late. I can hear her watching it right now.” Nicole shot up, sprinting up the stairs. She could hear it now, too.

_“Love you, Wave.”_

       She stopped at her door, looking at Gus and Waverly sitting on the edge of her bed. Waverly looked up at her, standing up and angrily stomping over to her. Nicole stared down at her, mouth opened, eyes wide.

       Waverly drew back and smacked her across the face. She pursed her lips. “YOU KISSED MY SISTER!!”

       “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t remember kissing your sister,” she mumbled with a smile. Waverly shot her a glare.

       Wynonna appeared behind her. She pushed Nicole out of the way, smacking Wynonna (harder than she had smacked Nicole of course.) “YOU KISSED MY GIRLFRIEND!!”

       “Not to be a bitch, but we weren’t dating when this happened . . .” the redhead mumbled.

       Waverly turned towards her, thinking it over. “THAT . . . Is a very good point . . . Ok.” She kissed her reddened cheek.

       “What the hell?” Her sister said breathlessly. “You’re not mad anymore?”

       “No, I’m still mad.” She smacked Nicole again. “Don’t you _ever_ do something like that again! Especially with _my sister_!” She snapped, pointing a finger at her.

       “I would never,” she mumbled, rubbing her cheek.

       Waverly nodded, pulling her in for a kiss. She pulled back, quickly gripping the bottom of her chin and tugging her head down. “ _Good_. Cause I know how to hide a body,” she said sweetly. Nicole smiled nervously down at her. 

       “Ok, Waves, I think she got the hint,” Gus said, rubbing her hand on her back.

       “She better,” Waverly grumbled. Nicole smiled a toothy smile at both of them. Gus walked out of the room, glaring at Wynonna as she passed her.

       “Love you, Haught Stuff,” the older brunette called.

       “Fuck you, Earp,” she scoffed, shaking her head and walking over to the bed, plopping down face first. Waverly turned the light off, crawling over her and laying down next to her. Nicole rolled over to face her, pulling the blanket up to her chin. “I’m so sorry,” she mumbled. “I’m such a fucking asshole.”

       Waverly cupped her cheek. “I said it was ok,” she reminded.

       “That doesn’t make me _not_ an asshole.”

       “Well, you apologized to me _drunk in a video you didn’t even know if I would see_ , I think that makes you _not_ an asshole.” Nicole smiled lightly, closing her eyes. Waverly kissed her nose. “Night, Baby, love you.” 

       “Mm, love you, too . . . Make sure I’m up at 10, I’m working 12 to 12 tomorrow.”

       “Mk,” Waverly sighed, snuggling up against her chest. Nicole threw her arm around her, hugging her closer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo doggie
> 
> Idk who it was, but someone commented wondering if the body shot thing actually happened. Well, there's your answer!
> 
> I feel like I am really mean to Nicole. First, she gets knocked around by Wynonna, then she breaks her fist, now she's got blisters. And then her backstory. I'm sorry Nicole. 
> 
> We aren't gonna talk about the fact that it is always -100 degrees in Canada and there is no way it would be hot in March. 
> 
> Next chapter leads into the Poker Spectacular! (I think, don't quote me on that)


	29. Lord Have Mercy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly does a lot of thinking. Maybe too much thinking. 
> 
> read beginning notes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh, apparently I can't be nice to my characters for more than like 4 chapters. Even though I already knew this was gonna happen a while ago, but still. 
> 
> Here we go:
> 
> Trigger Warning: This chapter contains self-harm. I know that some people can't read stuff like this and that is 100% understandable. It was personally a challenge to write this. Someone really close to me has been dealing with it for almost 2 years now and I've been there through the thick and thin. Ya'll have become a little family that I have gathered up and I just need ya'll to know that if you are going through something, or know someone who is, know that it does get better. There's always a light at the end of the tunnel. And you might not see it yet, but you have to believe me when I tell you that there is. Everyone's story is different. But, it always gets better. The best thing to do is to talk to someone. It sounds scary, but knowing my journey through it, we got her help. And it helped. It was a little touch and go, but it did help. Yea, I am just some WayHaught fanfiction writer, but if you don't feel like you can talk to anyone else, get in touch with me on my Tumblr @i-smell-like-queeeef . I want ya'll to stay safe and to know that whatever you plan on doing is really not the right answer. It might seem like it helps, but it doesn't. Not in the long run. Please stay safe, my loves. 
> 
> This isn't extremely graphic, if I had to give it a rating, it'd be like a 5ish out of 10 maybe, I don't know really. And some of this chapter is revolved around other things, so don't think you are reading 7,000 words of sadness. 
> 
> Despite the rather glum circumstances, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

       Waverly drove Nicole to her house a little after 11 AM so she could go to work, and then she headed back to the Homestead. She laid in bed all day, not having any energy to do anything. If she wasn’t crying, she was gripping Nicole’s hoodie to calm herself down from a panic attack. And if she wasn’t doing either of those things, it was because she had passed out from exhaustion for an hour or so. Everything that had happened in the past few days was catching up to her. This was one of the first times she was actually _alone_. Gus was working and Wynonna was- who knows. Her brain was racking over everything: Nicole was getting surgery in two days. She was worried about her and how she would recover, not knowing if she _would_ completely recover. Tucker was in jail for holding hostages because of _her_. The guilt she felt from that made her squirm. Her side ached annoyingly from her graze. And, yea, Willa was gone, but the things she had said to her and Nicole still stung. She felt _horrible_ for smacking Nicole so much the night before. She didn’t deserve that, even though she _did_ kiss her sister. But they weren’t together then, and both of them were drunk off their asses. She knew Nicole would _never_ lay a hand on her, and she didn’t even apologize for it. But, over everything, her mind kept going back to Champ and that guy at the club, _Ethan_ , he had said his name was. Nicole had tried to put it on herself, but she knew it wasn’t her fault. It was her own fault. She shouldn’t have _needed_ her to save her. She should have been able to turn around and tell him off herself, just like she had with all the drunks at Shorty’s before . . . well, before Champ decided to pull his little stunt. She hated how he had turned her into this weak, helpless girl. And she was trying to just forget about it because he had _barely_ even done anything to her. She knew that there were _so_ many girls that had much, much more terrifying things happen to them. Yet, she couldn’t shake it off.

       Waverly cried. She cried until her eyes couldn’t shed any more tears. And then she just sobbed dryly, eyes burning. The only times she got up were when she had to run to the bathroom, contents of her insides deciding to make a reappearance. Even after a while of that, she had emptied everything in her stomach, bile and all. The only thing she wanted was for Nicole to hold her and tell her it was all going to be alright. But she was at work. And she had a 12-hour shift, so she probably didn’t need her whiney girlfriend bothering her.

       Her phone rang at about 6:45, startling her awake. She recognized the ringtone as Thinking Out Loud, the one she had set up for Nicole’s contact. She let out a breath, swallowing the dryness down her throat.

       She answered it, placing it on speaker and placing it in front of her face on the pillow. “Hello?” She rasped.

       “Hey, Baby!” Nicole’s cheery voice filled the room.

       “What’s up?” She asked as energetically as she could possibly manage.

       “Nothin much, just bored, missin’ you,” she sighed.

       The smallest smile tugged at Waverly’s lips. “I miss you, too,” she managed to get out without her voice cracking.

       “Soooo, what’d you do today?”

 _Cried, puked, had a panic attack, cried some more, had another panic attack, puked again, passed out, cried again cause I needed you here, and so on and so on . . ._ That’s what had _actually_ happened, but she wasn’t going to say that. Obviously.

       “Uhh, been doing research for Black Badge mostly,” she lied, voice wavering the slightest bit.

       “Ooh, learn anything new?” She asked giddily.

       Waverly pulled the blanket up to her chin, swallowing the lump in her throat. “No, not really . . .” She squeezed her eyes shut, pushing away all the hate that she felt for lying to her.

       She was about to make an excuse to hang up, but she heard Nicole’s radio fizz over. “Haught, come in,” she heard the dispatcher’s voice call over.

       “Yea, Lucy, what’s going on?”

       “Mrs. Nolan called in another complaint about _strange sounds_ in her barn.”

       She heard Nicole sigh. “10-4, I’ll go check it out . . . again.” She paused and Waverly heard the sounds of her moving around. “I’m sorry, Wave, duty calls.”

       “It’s ok,” she replied. “I’ll text you later before I go to bed, yea?” She knew she would probably _not_ do that.

       “Yea, sound’s good!” She heard her car door shut. “Alright, Babe, love you. I’ll talk to you later.”

       “Yea . . . love you, too. Bye, Nic.”

       “Buh-bye.” The line went dead and Waverly let out a long, shaky breath, bringing her hands over her face.

       “You’re such a fucking _asshole_!” She growled at herself, smacking her hands down onto her mattress. A wave of something fell over her. She didn’t know what it was, but she just stared at the ceiling, feeling . . . nothing.

       She flipped to her side after about an hour. A glint of shine from her desk caught her eye and she knew exactly what it was. Slowly standing up with a blank look in her eyes, she walked over there, resting her hands on the edge, looking down at the silver skinny handle of the tool. Picking it up, she pulled the cap off the end, revealing the pointed blade. She trudged back over to her bed, sitting down on the floor and leaning her back against it, gripping the tool, knuckles white.

       After another hour, she absentmindedly put pen to paper, or in her case, knife to skin. She drew 20 lines along her left thigh before shakily dropping the exacto knife the floor, balling her hands into fists at her sides. She inhaled sharply, looking down at her leg. She let out a few whimpers, pushing herself up off the floor, walking unsteadily to the bathroom. Clutching a wad of toilet paper, she slid down the wall and pressed it against her leg as the tears began to fall again. She was brought back to the reality of it all, what she had just done to herself. She had heard stories of people hurting themselves and she never knew how someone could get somewhere so dark that that was their last resort. She realized she was now one of those statistics. A sob choked through her, leaving her a coughing mess, slowly dropping her hand from her leg. She stood up and threw the wad away, washing her hands, and making her way back into her room, curling up on her bed. She cried herself to sleep, sobbing into Nicole’s hoodie. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole woke up, feeling like a ton of bricks was sitting on her chest. Turns out, it was just Calamity Jane. She pushed her off with a groan, sucking in a deep breath of air, lungs fully inflating for the first time in hours. She sat up, twisting her arms around with a yawn.

       She spent the next hour working out. It was raining, so she couldn’t run outside, so she did so on the treadmill. She worked as much as she could manage with her hand on her arms and chest, ending it with a hundred or so sit-ups. She showered and checked her phone. Still nothing from Waverly.

       She wasn’t going to lie. She had sounded off last night. She just figured she was tired or something, but it just rubbed her the wrong way. And she said she would text her, but she never did. There was this pit in her stomach and she didn’t know why. Checking herself over in the mirror, she grabbed her keys and hopped in her car, heading towards the bakery in town to pick up breakfast.

       She pulled up to the Homestead at 10 o’clock, readjusting her sling and picking up the coffees and a box of donuts. She gave the front door a knock with her foot. Gus answered the door. “Oh, for Heaven’s sake, Nicole, you don’t need to knock, come in!”

       She flashed her dimples with a blush, walking into the kitchen. “I brought ya’ll breakfast,” she informed.

       Gus nodded with a chuckle. “I see that.”

       Nicole rubbed the back of her neck. “Is Waves awake?” She asked.

       She watched Gus frown. “If she is, she hasn’t come down yet.”

       Nicole furrowed her brow, grabbing the coffees off the table. “Well, I guess I’m bout to go find out,” she said with a smile, turning up the steps. She cracked her door open, peeking her head in, seeing the bundle of blankets on the left side of the bed. She smiled, slowly making her way into the room. She walked around to her side of the bed, looking at her sleeping face. She set the coffees down on the nightstand and kneeled next to the bed, wincing as she knelt on something hard. She moved her leg, looking downward, picking up the silver tube, cocking an eyebrow of why it was on the floor. Her breath hitched. “ _No_ ,” she breathed, looking at the red staining along the edge. She dropped her hand to Waverly’s leg that was sticking out from under the blanket. Her heart went from beating a million miles an hour to not beating at all when she looked to her thigh, seeing a couple of red lines on her skin running below the hem of her shorts. She swallowed hard, gently pulling up the bottom of her shorts, seeing the lines quadrupling in amount and doubling in severity. She looked up to her face with teary eyes, now seeing how pale she looked, how her jaw was clenched in her sleep. Her lip wobbled and she shoved the knife in the pocket of her pants, quickly standing up off the floor and rushing out of the room.

       She ran down the steps and Gus stepped in her way as she pushed for the front door. “ _Woooah_ now,” she said, placing both hands on her upper arms. “What happened, Hun?” Nicole darted her eyes around her face, mouth falling open in an attempt to say something. She dropped her head, opening the floodgates. “Nicole?” The woman asked softly.

       “I- I- gotta-” She covered her mouth, silencing the sound that tried to escape. She shook her head, pushing past the older woman, heading straight out the door. She ripped her sling off, feeling like it was strangling her, and braced herself against the front porch, holding both arms out, leaning forward against the railing. She dropped her head, watching the tears hit the wood. She tried to slow her breathing, but she couldn’t. Smacking her hand down, she pushed herself away, turning around and pushing her hand through her hair. The sobs shook through her as she slammed herself against the house, sliding down. She tried to make herself as small as possible, clutching her knees to her chest, gripping her arms tightly around them. She _knew_ something had been wrong, and she just _brushed_ it off. She could have _been_ there. She could have prevented this. But she didn’t call. _Why_ hadn’t she called her? Waverly knew _damn well_ that she would have dropped everything for her. _Everything_. What had happened? She was fine that morning. Well, apparently not. Nicole’s whole body shook and she dug her nails into her sleeves. She had so many questions but was terrified of the answers.

       Gus sat on the couch inside, heart crumbling to pieces as she listened to the girl outside. She hadn’t remembered the last time she had heard someone cry like that, like every ounce of life was leaving their body. She slowly shook her head, looking down at the mug of coffee in her hand. She wanted to comfort her, but she knew that Officer well enough to know that she would have come in or called for her if she wanted it. She sighed, resting her forehead on her palm, tangling her fingers in her salt and pepper hair.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly came down the steps 30 minutes later. “Mornin, Gus,” she yawned.

       Gus turned to her, eyebrow cocked. “ _Waverly_ ,” she greeted, almost in question of her rather _calm_ nature. Waverly turned to her, giving her a small smile. “Your girlfriend went outside,” she said into her mug.

       The younger girl set the coffee pot down on the counter. “She’s here?”

       Gus gave her a weird look. “Mhm.”

       Waverly walked over to her, messing with the strings of her sweatpants she had recently slid on. "How long's she been here?”

       Gus blinked at her, now very confused. “For a while now,” she confirmed.

       “Ok . . . I’m gonna go see her,” the brunette said slowly.

       Gus turned to her before she reached the door. “Be careful with her,” she warned. Waverly cocked an eyebrow but nodded anyway. She walked out the door, catching a ball of redhead in of the corner of her eye.

       She turned quickly to her, eyes widening. “Nic?” She asked softly.

       The Officer slowly raised her head at her, face covered in red blotches, lip quivering. _"Why didn’t you call me_?” She asked quietly, face contorting with sadness.

       The brunette’s stomach dropped. “Wha . . .” Nicole pulled the knife out of her pocket, tossing it to her feet. She inhaled sharply, looking up at her. Her hands began to shake. “I-” She covered her mouth, running inside.

       Nicole pushed herself up off the ground, quickly moving towards the door on shaky legs. “ _Wave_ . . .” She called as she ripped the door open, but she was already upstairs. She pounded the side of her fist against the door, a new wave of tears rolling down her face. The redhead pushed herself inside, collapsing to the floor.

       Gus rushed over to her, pulling her into her arms. “Nicole, you gotta tell me what happened,” she said softly, rubbing her hand up and down her side. “Shh, what happened?”

       “Sh-she cut herself,” she sobbed, gripping her arm, shoving her head into her chest.

       Gus shut her eyes. “Lord have mercy.” She slid out from underneath the redhead and pushed the front door open. “WYNONNA!” She yelled to the girl in the barn. She waited until she saw her run out and sat back down, pulling Nicole back into her arms.

       Wynonna came in, holding the blade. “Why the hell is- What’s wrong?” She asked with concern, looking down to the two women on the ground.

       “Your sister,” her aunt breathed. “Go make sure she is ok and _don’t you dare take that damn knife up there with you_.”

       She furrowed her brow, looking down at it, noticing the red edge. Her breath stalled and she dropped it like it was on fire. “ _Oh my god_.” She dashed up the stairs, two at a time, swinging her door open, finding her sobbing face-first into the ground. She slid down next to her. “ _Babygirl_.” She pulled her into her lap. “I love you _so_ much,” she mumbled as she kissed her forehead, tears rolling down her face at a rapid pace. The sobs shook through the smaller girl, and Wynonna was soon sobbing along with her. They cried with each other for several minutes, clutching themselves to each other for a little while once they calmed down a bit. 

       “I’m so sorry.”

       The dark brunette shook her head. “Nope, don’t say that.”

       Waverly heard a loud sob come from downstairs. “Does she hate me?”

       Wynonna pushed the hair away from her face. “Who?”

       “Nic.”

       She raised her eyebrows at her. “I don’t think that girl could ever hate you, Waves,” she smiled. “And if she _does_ , well, haha, I worry for her future health.”

       Waverly laughed a little, leaning her head on her shoulder. “I’m never doing it again,” she mumbled after a few seconds.

       Her sister lifted her head, looking at her with worry in her eyes. “Please don’t,” she whispered.

       Waverly took her head in both of her hands. “ _Never_ ,” she promised.

       Wynonna nodded with teary eyes, clearing her throat to clear them. “I suggest you go talk to that girl of yours because _I_ still need to get a dress for tonight and I need your fashion _expertise_ ,” the older Earp admitted with a toothy smile. Waverly rolled her eyes, scooting off her lap. She stood up and saw the coffees on her nightstand. She picked them up, noticing one had a heart on the outside. It was still warm and she smiled, looking up at the wall in front of her. She squinted a bit. Something was off. She walked closer to her Polaroids, noticing the new addition. Wynonna leaned against the doorframe, watching her take it off the clip.

       “Why were you watching us sleep?” She asked with a goofy smile on her face. Wynonna laughed, leaving the room. She followed closely behind, 2 coffees and photo in hand. Her jaw clenched, seeing Nicole leaning against the wall downstairs, Gus sitting close next to her. Gus looked up, pat her knee, and stood, walking to the kitchen with Wynonna. Waverly took a breath and slumped down next to her, handing her the coffee with the photo sitting on the lid. “So Wynonna watches us sleep apparently.”

       Nicole laid one leg flat, setting the drink next to her, and looked closer at the picture with a small smile. “That’s not creepy at all,” she mumbled, looking over to her.

       Waverly sighed, leaning her head on her shoulder and interlocking their fingers on her lap. “Are you still going to be my date tonight?” She asked softly.

       Nicole lifted her head from resting against the brunette’s. “Yea . . . why wouldn’t I be?”

       Waverly shrugged. “I figured you probably hate me now.” 

       The redhead smiled at her. “I think it is _impossible_ for me to hate you, Waverly Earp.” She pushed her forehead against the smaller girl’s.

       “I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

       Nicole slid her arm behind her, pulling her closer and gripping the shirt at her waist. “Well, I don’t . . . I’m just very extremely _worried_ and _confused_.” 

       “Very extremely?”

       Nicole gave her a look, showing she was serious. She sighed, not really knowing what to say. “Let’s start with . . . what you were actually doing yesterday because I have a feeling you _weren’t_ researching anything.”

       Waverly shook her head slowly. Nicole raised her eyebrows, wanting more than that. She looked down, messing with the ring on her index finger. “I . . . There was no one here when I got home from dropping you off. I didn’t have anyone to distract me, so I got lost in my head again. Started thinking about _everything_ that has happened lately.” She explained all the events that she had been stressing over and why she was. Nicole never butted in, even though she knew most of her opinions about herself were _so, so_ not true. “I cried. For _hours_. Threw up _everything_. Passed out _at least_ 3 times. I just . . . I really needed you, but I couldn’t.”

       Nicole swallowed. “Couldn’t what?” She asked softly, rubbing her thumb in patterns on her waist.

       The brunette sniffled. “I couldn’t do that to you. And that’s why I didn’t call you when . . . cause I just couldn’t.”

       Nicole shook her head, turning her body toward her. She pulled on Waverly’s knees, turning her as well. Waverly had her head down again. “Look at me.” The brunette shook her head. Nicole scooted her forward. “Baby, look at me. Please.” She dropped her hands to her ankles. “Wave.” She slowly looked up, tears in her eyes.

       “I need you to listen to me . . . If you asked me a month ago if there is someone I would do absolutely anything for, I would have said no. But, if you asked me now . . .” She shook her head in awe. “Waverly, you- you’re my world. I’ve quickly fallen _deeply_ in love with you, so quickly, in fact, that it almost scares me. I don’t know why the universe decided to take it's sweet time to bring us together because, before you, I was just living to be living. But now, I’m living because I get to see your smile. I get to listen to you talk about your _honestly really awesome_ history stuff and watch you get flustered when you babble on about something for 10 minutes without even realizing it. I get to fall asleep with you in my arms or in _some cases_ in your arms.” She handed Waverly the picture.

       “You’re a cuddly drunk,” she mumbled.

       Nicole nodded with a smile, tipping her head a little. “I know . . .” She cleared her throat. “I know that I might not be able to always make you feel better. But I do have arms that are always ready to give you a hug. I’ll always have a shoulder for you to cry on. I have ears that’ll listen to _whatever_ you need to talk about. And . . . I have a heart. A heart that beats for you and is _aching_ to see you happy. Yea, I know, sometimes life is hard. And some days are rough. But, I promise I’ll always be here to keep you upright . . .” A tear slowly made its way down her face. She reached up and put a hand on Waverly’s cheek. “From now on when you need me, _call me_ , _text me_ , _drive to me_ , _I don’t care_ , just get in touch with me somehow. I don't care if I am sleeping, or working, or have my own shit going on. Hell, I don’t care even if we are _fighting_ about something. I’ll help you through it with the best of my abilities. Big or small, I’ll be there, Wave. I know what it feels like to feel alone, but I can _promise_ you that you aren’t. You’ve got your asshole of a sister, your most amazingly amazing aunt, and your _pretty cool_ girlfriend. We all love you, Wave.” She wiped her face with the inside of her jacket. “You probably think that we’re upset with you for . . . but, we’re not. We’re gonna help you through this so it doesn’t happen again . . . and if it does- please don’t do it again-” She cupped her cheeks, closing her eyes. “But, if it does, we’re still gonna be here, just like we are now.” She wiped her thumbs gently under her eyes. “Ok?”

       Waverly locked eyes with her, quickly lurching forward, knocking her back with a hug. She wrapped her arms around her neck, resting her head on her shoulder. Nicole tightly wrapped her arms around her middle, relaxing her muscles. She sat them up after a few seconds, pushing Waverly’s legs behind her back. She quickly moved her hands, cupping her face, pulling the redhead into a teeth-knocking kiss. Nicole hugged her arms tighter around her body, holding her as close to her as possible.

       “We get it! You love each other! I’m about to throw up all of these donuts!”

       Waverly pulled back, rolling her eyes. “I love you so much,” she sniffed, pulling her hood up on her head, running her fingers down the edges.

       Nicole smiled a dimpled smile. “Yea, well, I love you more, but it's ok,” she winked. 

       The smaller girl shook her head at her with a giggle. “Unless I’m hearing things, my sister said something about donuts.”

       “I can confirm you are _not_ hearing things.”

       Waverly kissed her once more before standing up off her lap and pulling her up off the floor. “You look good in pink,” she smirked, pulling on the front of her light pink Adidas jacket.

       “I look good in everything,” Nicole shrugged, grabbing a vanilla dipped donut out of the box. Waverly tutted, plucking it from her hand as she was _just_ about to bite down on it.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “ _Wynonna_!” Waverly hissed, watching her snag a piece of candy from one of the little stations in the middle of the mall.

       “Damn, Deputy Dimples has turned you into a _narc_ ,” she scoffed, sticking the sucker in her mouth. “Why are we in a mall looking for my _super sexy_ ball gown? Shouldn’t we have gone to a dress store?” Waverly stopped, crossing her arms. “What?”

       “Did you know that there are _dress stores_ in the _mall_?” She asked, pointing at the store she was standing in front of.

       “Oh,” she mumbled. Waverly gave her a playful shove for the entrance. They began to browse around the rather large dress store.

       “What kind do you want?” The younger girl asked.

       Wynonna pulled the sucker out of her mouth. “I dunno, that’s why you’re here.”

       “Ok . . . do you have a color in mind?”

       “Not black . . . I don’t want to look like I am at an upscale funeral.”

       Waverly looked at her weird. “All you wear is black, Wynonna.” She pursed her lips, shoving the sucker back in her mouth. Waverly ran her hand along a red dress. “This one’s cute!”

       Wynonna examined it. “Eh.”

       “You have to at least try it on,” she complained. Wynonna gave in and they walked over to the changing rooms. She sat down on a bench as Wynonna changed and decided to text Nicole.

 

**Waves 🌊 💛: Baaaaaaaabbbbbbbbbyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy**

**Nicole Haught ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙: Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat**

**Waves 🌊 💛: Watcha doin**

**Nicole Haught ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙: Driving**

**Waves 🌊 💛: Texting and driving?!** 😱

**Nicole Haught ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙: Shhhh, don’t tell the cops**

**Waves 🌊 💛: I hate to break it to u, but I’m kinda talking to one rn**

**Nicole Haught ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙: HOW DARE U**

**Waves 🌊 💛: 😂 😂**

**Waves 🌊 💛: Soooo, what r u wearing tonight?**

**Nicole Haught ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙: ERROR 404: Message not sent**

**Waves 🌊 💛: Niccc**

**Nicole Haught ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙: ERROR 404: Message not sent**

**Waves 🌊 💛: Tell meee**

**Nicole Haught ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙: ERROR 405: User says if u ask again, she won’t watch Friends with u anymore**

**Waves 🌊 💛: Ur an ass, u know that?**

**Nicole Haught ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙:** 🍑🍑🍑

**Waves 🌊 💛: I’d smack u rn if I could**

 

       A few seconds after she sent the text, Waverly felt arms hug her shoulders from behind and smelled the sudden drift of vanilla dipped donuts. “Aw, no you wouldn’t,” Nicole chuckled.

       The brunette smiled as she hopped over the back of the bench and sat down next to her. “I thought you were busy all day?!”

       Nicole smiled, hooking her chin with her finger, leaning into a kiss. “I got done early,” she shrugged. “And I decided to come relieve you of some of the torture from your sister . . . She also asked me to come, though.”

       “Why?” Waverly asked slowly.

       “No clue,” she sighed. Waverly leaned sideways on her, wrapping Nicole’s arm around her front, resting her hand on her stomach. “How long’s she been in there?”

       “Like . . .” She lifted Nicole’s arm up, looking at the watch on her wrist. “5 minutes maybe?”

       They heard the sound of a curtain woosh open. Looking up, they saw Wynonna strut out of the changing room. “You like what you see, Haught Cakes?” She smirked, posing with her butt sticking out. Waverly looked up at Nicole, watching her stick her fingers in her mouth and wolf-whistle. Both Earp girls laughed.

       “I like it, Wyn. Do you?”

       “I dunno. Let’s look around some more.” Waverly nodded and she went back to change.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       An hour or so later, they were _still_ in the dress store. Wynonna had tried on 5 more dresses, not being happy with any of them. “It’s almost 3 o’clock, Wynonna,” Waverly grumbled with a sigh.

       “Ya. And?”

       “I don’t want to have to be in a rush to get ready.”

       “Yea, Earp, maybe hurry it up just _a little bit,_ ” Nicole added.

       “We’re not gonna be late, chill out.” 

       Waverly muttered something under her breath, crossing her arms and quickly turning to walk towards the bench. She hadn’t realized she had been standing in front of a shelf, so she ended up knocking her left side into it. The groaned through her teeth, clamping her hand around the front of her thigh.

       Nicole grabbed her arm and she turned towards her. “Are you ok?” She asked softly, furrowing her brow. Wynonna walked over next to the Officer.

       Waverly nodded quickly. “Yea, I’m good,” she assured, taking her hands away from her leg, seeing the darker tint on her black leggings and the red on her hands. “Noo,” she mumbled.

       “Wave . . .” Nicole said quietly. She looked up with a clenched jaw, tears welling up in her eyes. “Hey, no no,” She cupped her cheek. “It’s ok, we’ll go get it cleaned up. You’re ok.” She nodded, biting the sides of her cheeks. Nicole dropped her hand from her face, taking her hand. They started to walk out.

       “Nicole,” Wynonna called. They stopped and began talking quietly to one another, quiet enough that Waverly couldn’t hear. Wynonna pat her arm and squeezed her sister’s shoulder as she turned away. Nicole smiled at Waverly as they walked out.

       They got to the redhead's cruiser and she opened the back driver’s side door. “Scoot all the way over,” she said quietly. She did so and Nicole walked around, opening the passenger’s side door, pulling the first aid kit out of the glove box. She climbed in next to the brunette and closed the door. She opened the box, looking up and noticing Waverly was shaking. “Baby, you ok?” She nodded. “You sure?” She nodded again. “Ok . . . Scooch these down a little,” she said, gesturing to her pants.

       The smaller girl looked at her funny. “But . . .” She looked out the window.

       “They’re tinted, Love. No one can see in.” Waverly bit her cheek, pushing away the lump in her throat. “It’s ok. I promise,” she assured, pulling the brunette’s finger away from picking a hole in her own thumb. She swallowed, lifting her hips up, sliding her pants down to her knees. She clutched her arms to her front, looking out the window. Nicole kept herself calm. She didn’t want Waverly to see the pain in her eyes. She looked down at it, gently placing her hand next to it. She leaned forward, opening the center console and pulling a box of tissues out. She set it in between Waverly’s legs and grabbed the water bottle from the cup holder in the front. Tugging her sleeves up and turning herself sideways, she pulled a tissue out and opened the bottle. “I’m just gonna wipe it off a little, yea?” Waverly nodded, still looking out the window. She tilted her head towards her, looking into her teary eyes with very soft ones. “We’re gonna get through this. Together.”

       The brunette slowly smiled, blinking a tear out of her eye. Nicole handed her the tissue she was holding with a smile. “Together,” she nodded, wiping her eyes.

       The Officer grabbed another tissue and got her to pour a little water onto it. “Tell me to stop if it hurts.” She nodded, placing her hand on Nicole’s knee. She _gently_ began to clean it off. Once she was done, she opened a gauze pack from the first aid kit and applied a little bit of pressure to it to help dry it and stop the little bit of bleeding that had started again.

       “Sit back,” Waverly said. Nicole cocked an eyebrow but did so. The brunette moved her girlfriend’s legs, putting one straight out against the backs of the seats and one bent at the knee, foot on the ground.

       “What are you-” Her question was answered when she laid back against her and placed her hand back on her leg with the gauze. Waverly smiled up at her, hugging her casted hand to her chest. “You could have just _asked_ me to do this, Babe,” she informed, kissing her temple.

       She giggled a little, reaching behind her and patting along Nicole’s waist, feeling around for her pocket. She pulled her phone out and unlocked it. “When were you gonna tell me about your Fall Out Boy obsession?” She asked with a smirk.

       “Ok, first of all, it's not an _obsession_. Second of all, how do you know about that?"

       Waverly clicked the playlist she had listened to the other day cleaning, and the first song that started was Uma Thurman. “Well, after I listened to your playlist for like _4 hours_ , I kinda got the hint. _Case and point_ ,” she said, wiggling the phone. “That’s why I had your phone the other day, by the way, I can’t clean without music and mine was dead.”

       “Just because I have good taste in music does not mean I am _obsessed_ ,” she mumbled.

       Waverly kissed the bottom of her jaw. “It’s ok to be in denial,” she soothed. The redhead rolled her eyes. “I do have to say, though, your rendition of Sugar, We’re Goin Down in the shower the other day was _lovely_.”

       She could see the Officer blush in the reflection of the black phone screen. “I’m sure it was.”

       Waverly gasped. “Can I look at _your_ pictures?!”

       Nicole’s eyes widened. “Uhmm, at your own risk. There could be some scary things on there, I don’t remember.” Waverly giggled evilly. “I bought myself my first iPhone when I started Police Academy, so . . . 4ish years ago? . . . Damn, I’m old.” Waverly nodded in agreement, scrolling to the bottom of her pictures.

       “Tiny Jeremy!” It was a picture of Jeremy posing with a pair of huge sunglasses on. Nicole smiled. A few pictures later was the first actual picture of Nicole. She was standing in front of a big mirror in a sports bra and basketball shorts. “Aww, almost-naked baby Nic.”

       Nicole snorted. “That was the first day of Academy and our Commanding Officer told us to take a picture of ourselves so we could push ourselves to shape up.”

       “Hmm, that’s smart.” She scrolled to a picture of her and 3 other people. They were all wearing the same outfit. A white shirt with their last names in black letters across the front, black cargo jeans, a utility belt, and black boots.

       “Ah, our lovely training uniforms,” she sighed. The passenger’s side door came open, making Waverly jump.

       Wynonna peeked her head in. “You two look comfy,” she teased, placing her dress bag on the seat. She handed Waverly a drink carrier with two Starbucks cups in it. “Got ya’ll hot chocolate,” she smiled.

       “Aw, she does have a heart,” Nicole snickered.

       “Don’t push it,” the older Earp warned. “Nice underwear, Wave.” She gave her a look.

       Nicole looked down. “Yea, I agree, Baby,” she husked, running her pinky along the elastic.

       “ _Nicole_ ,” Waverly snapped through her teeth, pulling her hand away.

       “That’s my baby sister, Haught.”

       She looked up at the warning look from Wynonna with a chuckle. “Can I take this off?” She asked, tapping her finger on the gauze on her thigh.

       “Ya.” She slowly took her hand away, realizing it had stuck to her leg.

       “This might hurt.” She gently pulled it off her skin and Waverly moved off her lap. Nicole checked it over once more and Waverly pulled her pants back up. Wynonna swallowed, making eye contact with the redhead. She clenched her jaw and Wynonna rubbed her hand along the side of her face. “You have to open the door, they don’t open from the inside,” she informed her.

       Wynonna opened her sister's side. “You realize how many times I’ve been in one of these, right?” She asked with a smirk as Waverly climbed out.

       “I don’t think that is something to brag about, Nonna.” She knocked her with her elbow, taking a sip of hot chocolate.

       Nicole climbed out holding the first aid kit and all their used materials. “What dress did you decide on, Earp?” She asked as she leaned into the car to put the things back.

       “The first one,” she mumbled.

       Waverly and Nicole glared at her. “Seriously?” Her sister demanded. “We could have been done an hour ago?” Wynonna gave her a toothy smile. “Just for that, Nic’s driving me home,” she huffed, leaning back into her girlfriend.

       Wynonna rolled her eyes, grabbing her dress. “Have a nice trip!” She exclaimed sarcastically, walking over to her truck a few cars over. Nicole and Waverly climbed in the cruiser and she pulled out of the mall parking lot. Waverly continued scrolling through pictures.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole looked over to her girlfriend when she heard her inhale audibly. She noticed her eyes were wide, mouth open. “What?” She asked with a laugh. She was staring at a picture of Nicole standing next to a guy. They were both flexing really hard with their heads turned, smiling wide smiles at one another. She zoomed in on Nicole. Her body _now_ was _absolutely positively amazing_. But in this picture, she had abs for _days_ and _buff ass_ arms. “What?” She asked again, tipping the phone toward her. “Oh _god_.” Her face went bright red. “We had the option towards graduation to join a 70-day intense diet/workout program called Deadman’s Training. Barely anyone did it because it was an all-day-everyday thing and it got its name because some guy died doing it. Horrible decision. Horrible. The hardest thing I have _ever_ done. That’s me with my trainer on the last day.”

       Waverly looked up at her. “I’m just gonna . . . send this to myself . . . for educational purposes.”

       Nicole pulled both lips into her mouth, looking over at her. “You, uh, might need to hold onto something before you swipe,” she informed.

       Waverly gave her a weird look before swiping. She quickly realized she should have listened. “ _Fuck_ ,” she breathed, gawking at the full body picture of Nicole standing with her front to a wall, hands locked on the back of her head . . . completely naked. All her muscles, head to toe, were beautifully defined. “ _You_ . . .”

       “Are a sexy ass motherfucker. I know, thank you.”

       “ _With a sexy ass_. God _damn_ , Nicole, I might just have you do this again.” 

       The Deputy looked to her, shaking her head quickly.  “ _Nooope_ , not happening.” She pulled her shirt up, flexing her abs. “I’ve still got a six-pack, you’ll be ok.” Waverly’s breathing picked up and her face flushed when she looked over to her. The redhead smirked, grabbing her hand and quickly pressing it against her abdomen. She watched her eyelashes flutter shut. Nicole licked her lips. “Told you you’ll be ok.”

       Waverly locked eyes with her. “We need . . . to make a pitstop,” she said, but the Officer knew it was a demand.

       “Text Wynonna, tell her we’re bringing Taco Bell home,” she said, quickly slowing down and pulling into the parking lot. Waverly bit her lip, sending the picture to herself first, of course. She quickly got out of the car, grabbing Nicole’s hand and dragging her into the building. They walked casually into the bathroom and made sure no one else was there. Once she knew it was clear, she yanked the redhead into a stall, locking the door. She tried to pull Nicole closer, but she stopped her. “Waves, are you sure?” She asked, looking around. Waverly knew what she was referring to, but she didn’t care. She grabbed her hand and pressed it against her centre, pushing her fingers down. “ _Damn, Babe_ ,” Nicole breathed, feeling how wet she had made her. She grabbed the left side of her pants, placing Waverly’s hand on the other and they tugged them down to just above her knees. She kissed her deeply, swallowing the moan she let out when she pushed a finger into her with no warning. She placed her legs on either side of her right leg, slowly rocking against it as she slid her finger in and out of the smaller girl. They kissed sloppily, silencing the other’s moans. Nicole bucked her hips hard as she stuck a second finger in after a few minutes, curving them slightly to hit her very sensitive spot. She moved her thumb up and started quickly circling around the bud. Waverly was gripping her shoulders, moaning forcefully into her mouth as she tried to keep her balance on her shaky legs.

       Nicole soon felt her walls already start to pulse around her fingers, so she sped up her rhythm. The brunette immediately wrapped her arms around her neck, legs almost going numb from the sensation that stormed through her body. She whimpered into her shoulder as she slowly retracted her fingers.

       Waverly lifted her head with a smile, flipping them around and pulling her pants back up. She cupped the Officer's centre, pressing her forehead against hers, still trying to catch her breath. “Yea?” 

       “If you don’t then I will,” she panted.

       She tipped her head, sliding her hand up to the hem of her briefs. “Well, we can’t have that,” she whispered, yanking her pants down. “I’ve never done this.” She traced a finger up her folds.

       “You’re about to,” Nicole said through her labored breathing. Waverly kissed her as she slipped her finger through, quickly moving around the nub, smiling as she heard muffled moans leave her mouth.

       The redhead was quickly where she had left off rocking against the brunette’s leg. She gripped Waverly’s shirt after a few more seconds, tipping her head back. Waverly shoved her fingers in her mouth, and she bit down on them to silence herself from the orgasm that ripped through her body. Waverly slowed her finger, pulling her head down into another kiss as she quickly shifted into her, not giving her a chance to fully come down from it. Nicole smacked her hand back onto the door, a whimper slipping out when Waverly pulled back for air. The smaller girl rolled her lip down, latching on as she added a second digit after a minute. “ _Shit_ ,” Nicole moaned.

       “Shh.” Waverly held her by the hair to keep her head in place as she slipped her tongue back in her mouth and sped up the flick of her wrist. Nicole dug her nails into her side, pulling her closer. Waverly felt the flesh around her finger start to contract and heard her breathing speed up. With a smirk, she moved her thumb up, flicking it as fast as possible. Nicole’s body clamped _hard_ around her finger and she let out a few cries as she came. Waverly let go of her hair after a few seconds, pulling back from her face.

       She opened her eyes, looking at her girlfriend’s proud face. “There’s no way you’ve never done that,” she breathed, fixing her pants.

       Waverly shrugged. “I just have a really good teacher.”

       Nicole smirked, unlocking the door. They both resituated themselves, fixing their hair and clothes before stepping out of the bathroom and ordering their food.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Wynonna, what time is it?!?!” Waverly shouted from doing her makeup in her room.

       “5:38!!” She yelled back. Waverly sighed as she put mascara on. She got some lipstick on her lips and decided it was good enough. She walked downstairs and found Wynonna taking a shot of something.

       “Hey! Dolls said no drinking!”

       “Dolls can suck my butt!” She screwed the cap on the bottle and shoved it back in the cabinet. “You ready?”

       “Yep,” she said with a smile.

       “You look great, Babygirl. Haught Shit’s gonna cream her jeans.”

       “ _Oh my God_ , _you’re gross_ ,” she gagged. Wynonna snickered, walking towards the door.

       “You both look beautiful,” Gus gushed, walking towards them. She gave them each a hug and a kiss. They told her goodbye and hopped into Waverly’s Jeep.

       They pulled up to the station a few minutes later and made their way inside. “So, are we avoiding Willa or . . .?” Waverly asked.

       “I dunno, we're about to find out.” Wynonna pulled the door of the BBD office open and they both traced their eyes around the room. Dolls was writing things down at the table and Doc and Nicole were talking to each other. She was leaned up against the wall, facing away from them.

       The younger Earp grabbed her sister’s arm. “I-is my girlfriend in a suit?” She asked with an open smile.


	30. Did You Just Call Me a Chihuahua?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> pOKeR SpeCtACulAr

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup guys! 
> 
> Ya'll were quiet on my last chapter and I'm lowkey scared. 
> 
> But here's this chapter!
> 
> It has a LOT from the actual show so most of the lines from those scenes are the same. (credits to the writers)
> 
> Enjoy!

       “You really need to get those windows in tomorrow, Doc. I’d help you, but I’ve got a date with my ex-wife and some anesthesia.”

       Doc chuckled. “I’ll get the Deputy Marshal to give me a hand.” He looked past her when he saw the door open. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

       She cocked an eyebrow. “What?”

       He looked back towards her. “It seems our women have arrived,” he said, removing his hat and walking towards Wynonna.

       She turned, seeing Waverly Earp walking towards her with a giddy smile on her face. She dipped her head, looking up at her through her lashes. “ _You_ are a vision,” she breathed, heart eyes flashing when she lifted her head. 

       “Oh please,” she mumbled with a blush. “Now you, on the other hand . . .” She cast her eyes over her tailored 3-piece navy suit, fit with a galaxy bow tie. Her hair was curled and she was wearing more makeup than usual. “I thought black tie meant _black tie_ ,” she smirked, tugging on either side of the bow tie.

       Nicole laughed. “Yea, well, that’s for men. And the last time I checked, I was not a man, so I am allowed to wear as I please.”

       Waverly raised her eyebrows. “You definitely please,” she breathed with a nod. The redhead blushed, looking over at the sound of heels clicking towards them.

       “You clean up nice, Haught Stuff,” Wynonna grinned, punching her arm.

       “You too, Earp,” she replied with a backhand to the shoulder.

       Waverly hugged both of them, giving them each a kiss on the cheek. “You both look wonderful, now c’mon.” She gave them each a push towards the table. They all took their seats and Nicole threw her foot over her knee. “Nice socks, Babe,” she smirked, looking at her galaxy socks that matched the tie.

       “Snazzy, right?”

       Waverly rolled her eyes, turning her attention to Dolls. “Some things have to be changed since we know Willa’s loyalty is not with us. I’m sure Bobo is not too happy with us anymore either. Waverly, if he talks to you, keep it going, but don’t go out of your way to talk to him anymore. Haught, they are aware of your status with the Earp’s now so you need to be extra cautious. He might approach either of you, don’t let whatever he says get to you.” They nodded. He began giving them a rundown of the night, going over precautions for every situation he could think of.

       “Haught, you’ve got your guns, right?” She pulled her jacket back, revealing a shoulder holster on each side, guns resting mid waist.

       “Sorry, I thought there were _no guns allowed_ ,” Wynonna butted in, throwing her hand out.

       Nicole pulled a badge out of her jacket pocket. “Nedley talked to Cryderman. He is allowing law enforcement to pack as long as it is concealed,” she informed. Dolls opened one side of his jacket, showing the gun in its built-in holster.

       “Ok, that means I don’t have to crawl through the window then, right?”

       Dolls pursed his lips. “You’re not law enforcement, Earp.”

       “I’m a _deputy_ ,” she reminded.

       “Not the same thing.”

       She scoffed. “ _Whatever_.”

       Dolls stood, walking over to his safe. “All of you come and grab an earpiece. They are wireless and very small, making them practically invisible to someone’s quick glance. They use Bluetooth to send the signals out and you have this little clothing attachment that you press to turn the microphone on.” They all grabbed one and got them synced up to their phones.

       “Where should I put this?” Waverly asked Nicole, holding the button up.

       She took it from her and looked her over. “Right _here_ , yea?” She clipped it to the top of her dress, facing inwards.

       She nodded, pushing the tiny earpiece in her ear. Nicole clipped her button to the inside of her sleeve. “Oooo, go stand over there, let's see if they work!” Waverly giggled. Nicole stuck her phone in her pocket and walked to the opposite side of the room. “ _Can you hear me_?” She asked giddily.

       “ _Yea, Baby, loud and clear_ ,” the redhead responded.

       “ _I swear to god if you two talk like that all night I am going to rip my ears off_ ,” Wynonna grumbled over the feed.

       “ _I could start dirty talkin’ her if you’d like_ ,” Nicole offered.

       “ _Please no, I already have to watch you two make out every day_.”

       “ _I second that. Please do not_ ,” Waverly warned.

       “ _I have to watch you with your tongue down Cowboy’s throat, what’s the difference_?” Nicole retorted with a laugh.

       “ _I did not volunteer to be brought into ya’lls bickering_ ,” Doc called over.

       She stuck her tongue out at Wynonna from across the room and walked over to Dolls. “Here’s your sound enhancer. It’s black, so try to keep it covered with your hair. Just put the remote in your pocket.” She nodded, pushing it in her other ear. “Might take a second or two to get used to the frequencies when you turn it on.”

       She cocked an eyebrow, flicking the switch, immediately hearing a loud ringing. “Ow, shit.” She stretched out her jaw, hearing the sound fade after a few seconds.

       “Mess with the controls, see if you can hear what those two are talking about,” Dolls said with a smirk, pointing to Wynonna and Waverly.

       She turned it up slightly, hearing their voices start to become louder. “Sooo, did she actually cream her jeans when she saw you? Looked like she did to me,” Wynonna snickered. Nicole bit the side of her cheek to hold in her laughter.

       “Would you stop with that!?” Waverly snapped with a smile.

       Nicole pressed the button in her sleeve. “ _I dunno, Wave, how bout you come find out_?” She asked, looking towards her and shoving her tongue against her top molars.

       They both looked at her wide-eyed.  “ _How the fuck did you hear that_?” The older Earp demanded. The Officer laughed as she walked over to them and pushed her hair behind her ear. “Oh. I thought you were superhuman or something there for a second,” she breathed.

       “Mm, no, not quite.”

       Waverly pulled her phone out of her purse. “I disagree,” she smirked, pointing it towards Wynonna, whose eyes widened as she grabbed the phone out of her hands.

       “God _damn_ , Haught Ass,” she muttered.

       Nicole sucked in a breath of air, wrestling the phone from her. “ _Waves_!” She hissed.

       The brunette had a pleased look on her face. “That’s what happens when you spy on my conversations.”

       “Dolls told me to,” she mumbled.

       “Why are you sending nudes to my sister?” Wynonna asked.

       “She sent it to _herself_ ,” Nicole corrected.

       “Mmmmmhmmmmm.” She walked off, giving her a mock stink eye.

       The Officer rolled her eyes, looking back to her girlfriend. “You think you’re funny, don’t you?” She asked, shaking her head.

       “I don’t _think_ , I _know_ ,” Waverly smiled, tilting her head up and giving her a kiss.

       “Even on heels, you're short,” Nicole sighed.

       She pushed her bottom lip out, furrowing her brow. “You’re mean,” she pouted.

       The redhead smirked, stepping forward. “Yea?” She whispered, lips an inch away from Waverly’s. “Do you need me to apologize?” She forcefully clutched the brunette’s hip, pulling her closer.

       “I think I do.” She traced her finger along her jaw.

       “Mm. That’s too bad,” Nicole husked, casting her hot breath on her lips and turning away. Waverly yanked her arm and backed her up against the table, kissing her angrily. “Somebody doesn’t take no for an answer,” she chuckled. Waverly pulled her bottom lip out with her teeth, looking her dead in the eye. She let go, smoothing it over with her tongue. Nicole pushed herself up so she was sitting on the edge and Waverly stepped in between her knees.

       “ _I don’t remember buying tickets to watch_ __ton_ sil hockey_,” Wynonna grumbled over the feed.

       They pulled away from each other with a sigh. Waverly turned around and rested her back against Nicole. “Why’s she always have to ruin our fun?”

       “She’s just jealous,” Nicole joked loud enough for the older Earp to hear, locking her hands around her front.

       “I’m not sure jealous is the right word, Haught Tub.”

       “Oo, that’s a new one.”

       “ _Would you 5 kindly get your asses over here. It’s starting to fill up_ ,” Nedley’s voice came through their earpieces.

       Nicole’s eyes went wide. “Great. My boss heard _everything_ we’ve said into this so far. _Thank you_ for telling me he had his already, Dolls,” she seethed, glaring at him.

       “You didn’t ask,” he shrugged.

       She rolled her eyes, pressing the button in her sleeve. “ _Yea, Nedley, we’re leaving the station now._ ”

       “ _10-4_.”

       She pushed the brunette forward slightly, hopping down behind her, pressing her front into the curve of her back and kissing her cheek. “You ready to go?” She asked with a smile. 

       “Yes, Ma’am,” she smirked.

       Nicole swung her hand out in front of her. “Your chariot awaits,” she said in a horrible British accent. Waverly cringed at her with a laugh, walking towards the door.

       They all pulled up to the hotel a few minutes later. Nicole stepped out of her cruiser, opening the brunette’s door and holding a hand out for her. Waverly hooked her arm around her's and they waited for the rest of them to catch up to them. “I guess I’m off to the window,” Wynonna mumbled.

       “We’ll go wait for you there,” Waverly informed. She nodded and snuck around the building. The couple made their way in, taking in the array of people. “When they said the whole town was invited, I didn’t expect them all to _actually_ show,” she mumbled.

       “It’s barely 7 o’clock so I’m sure there are more coming, too.” Nicole nodded at Nedley and Chrissy as they walked past them, heading to the already decided upon window. When they reached it, they saw Wynonna standing on the ground still. “I guess it was locked, aye?” Nicole laughed as she unlocked it and opened it.

       “Yea, ok, now help me in,” Wynonna sighed, pushing herself up onto the window sill. “Of all the days to not wear a bra.” Nicole and Waverly pulled her in and she stripped to her dress. “How bad is the security?”

       “There was none,” Nicole shrugged, handing her her heels.

       “Metal detectors?”

       “Nada."

       Wynonna furrowed her eyebrows. “Well then why did I just climb through the window?!” They both snickered. “Did you at least see Bobo?” They shook their heads. She sighed dramatically, grabbing the purse with Peacemaker in it from Waverly. She opened it, gasping loudly. “Oh my God, I totally forgot about this!” She pulled some old looking papers out of it.

       Waverly held her hands out and she handed them to her. “What is it?”

       “Wyatt wrote a letter to some dude named Robert Svane.”

       Waverly’s eyes went wide. “You are just telling me about this now?!?!”

       Wynonna held her hands up in surrender. “I forgot!”

       Waverly glared at her, pressing the button on her dress. “ _Doc, Dolls, come to the window. Wynonna found something and is just now bringing it up_.”

       “ _10-4_ ,” Dolls responded. They arrived a minute later and all gathered around Waverly.

       “So, can you explain this to me now because I can’t read cursive.” Waverly gave her a look, turning her attention back to the papers.

       “Dear Robert,” Dolls read the top of the paper.

       “Yea, fancy right?” Wynonna smirked. “Ok, now who is he?”

       “Robert Svane was a close confidant of Wyatt’s.” They all nodded. “This letter is dated years after he was cursed and he is basically explaining everything about it. How he was cursed when he killed the demon Clootie, how the Ghost River Triangle holds all Revenants. It says they have to cross over with a willing Earp heir and Peacemaker on the March equinox.” Everyone was silent for a few seconds. Waverly suddenly snapped her fingers. “Wynonna, what did Willa say her boyfriend’s name was the other day?!”

       “Robert . . .” She suddenly put it together. “Bobo is Robert Svane! Holy shit, Babygirl, you’re a genius!” She smiled widely.

       “So . . . the attack on the Homestead . . .?” Nicole trailed off.

       “Was all a ruse,” Wynonna finished.

       “But, it went wrong,” Waverly added.

       “They were never supposed to take Willa,” Wynonna whispered.

       “She was just insurance,” Dolls mumbled.

       Waverly gasped, pulling Nicole’s phone out of her pocket, checking the date. “Tonight’s the March equinox . . . Bobo’s gonna try again. He’s gonna try to cross the Ghost River triangle with the heir!”

       “Ok, but what’s the lead?” Dolls asked.

       “That’s just it . . . The heir is the lead.” Everyone’s eyes widened. It all made sense now.

       “That’s why Bobo’s been obsessed with her since she arrived in Purgatory,” Wynonna pointed out. “He knows I’m not the true Earp heir. Willa is.”

       “So, why the party then?” Doc asked.

       “I’m not sure,” Waverly admitted.

       “Is it all some big plot to get Peacemaker away from Wynonna?” Nicole pondered. "She said something about it when we spied on her." They all thought about it.

       “Could be,” Waverly nodded. “That means you have to protect that at all costs.”

       The older Earp nodded with a gulp. “Now what?” 

       “We party,” Dolls smiled. They all scattered around, going to their positions around the buildings. Waverly and Nicole walked into the main hall, moseying around, trying to find something or someone that looked out of place.

       Waverly pointed slightly in front of her, leaning up and whispering in her ear. “Revenants. I recognize them from my research.”

       Nicole nodded, stopping them and flicking the switch of her amplifier on, stretching out her jaw again to ease the blaring ringing. She walked them closer until she could hear them clearly and turned to Waverly. “Bullshit to me about something. I’m gonna act like I’m listening to you, but I won’t be,” she whispered with a smile. Waverly laughed a little before going on a tangent about the history of Roman numerals. She went on for a good 3 or 4 minutes, Nicole slowly nodding along. “You’re adorable,” she sighed, turning the device off.

       “Aw, thank you,” she smiled, kissing her cheek.

       “Walk with me?” She offered, raising her eyebrows and holding out her arm. Waverly took it and she led them to the bathroom. She made sure it was clear then walked them to the outer wall near the sinks farthest away from the door.

       “What’d they say?”

       “Not _a lot_. Mostly just asking one another if they have seen Wynonna show up yet, all of which saying no. Then they were going on about _how much everyone was drinking_. Kinda weird, I dunno.”

       “They do have _a lot_ of bubbly,” the smaller girl mumbled. Nicole nodded. The door came open and Waverly turned around, letting out a hushed groan.

       “Waverly,” the woman greeted.

       “Willa,” she returned.

       “I’m not _interrupting_ something, am I?” She asked sweetly.

       “Nope,” Nicole replied. Waverly began washing her hands for no reason at all.

       “You two having a good time tonight?” Willa asked, trying to make small talk as she touched up on her makeup in the mirror.

       “Great time,” Waverly said, flicking her hands off and drying them with a paper towel.

       “You guys drinking?” She looked at them slightly.

       Nicole cocked an eyebrow. “No . . . Why?”

       Willa turned to them. “It’s a party! Everyone’s drinking!”

       “Yea, well, I’m technically on duty, soo . . .”

       “And I can’t stand champagne.” Willa did a long nod, turning back to the mirror. “Why are you being nice to us exactly?”

       “I’m just trying to be a better sister, Waverly.”

       She crossed her arms. “Yea, well, remember, I’m _only your half-sister_.” Willa clenched her jaw, throwing her a glare.

       Nicole placed her hands on Waverly’s shoulders. “Oook, I think we’re done in here!” She guided the smaller girl towards the door. “Nice talking to ya, Willa,” she grumbled as the door closed behind them.

       “Bitch,” the brunette breathed.

       “Yep.” They made their way back out onto the floor, a lot more people having arrived since they last saw it.

       “ _Anyone find anything worthwhile_?” Wynonna’s voice asked.

       “ _Nope, just a bitchy Willa_ ,” Nicole sighed.

       “ _Nothing on our end either_ ,” Nedley informed.

       Nicole heard Waverly clear her throat, so she looked in her direction, seeing the man of the hour walking towards them. “ _Del Rey’s approaching, someone watch our 20,_ ” she said quickly.

       “Officer Haught and Waverly Earp,” he sighed, stopping in front of them and shoving his hands in his pockets. “How are we tonight?”

       “Fantastic, now what do you want?” The Officer asked, raising her eyebrows and taking a step closer to the man.

       “Why, I’m just chatting with my party guests!” He shrugged, taking a step towards to Waverly. “S’there a problem with that, Officer?” He asked, tipping his head and pulling both sides of his cheeks in slightly.

       She looked at him warningly. “Get closer to her and there might be.”

       He chuckled evilly. “What’re you going to do if I decide I want to?”

       “I’m not sure yet.” She readjusted the sides of her jacket, purposely flicking them open enough so he could see the weapons on her sides. The man bit his teeth at the smaller girl, taking a step back.

       “You’ll break those pearly whites if you do that hard enough,” Waverly sighed.

       “Seriously, it makes you look like an angry chihuahua,” the redhead added.

       Bobo stepped within an inch of her face. “Did you just call me . . . a _chihuahua_?” He growled.

       Waverly grabbed her hand that was resting at her side and Nicole gave it a squeeze before letting it go and crossing her arms in front of herself. “Yep.” She blinked at him with a bored look on her face. He growled again, flashing his eyes this time. “You don’t scare me, I hope you realize that . . . If I am being honest, I think _you_ are scared of _me_.”

       He tipped his head with a smirk. “And why’s that?”

       She smiled. “Well, there is a guy about 15 feet away from us at my 9 o’clock with his hand inside his shirt, resting on a holster. There’s another in the same position on the staircase right above us.” She looked at Waverly. “And, Baby, tell me, is there another about 5 feet behind me, give or take, gun already drawn?”

       Waverly turned her head and there he was, having a staring contest with the back of the Officer’s head, hand slightly poking out of his jacket with a gun in it. “Sure is,” she sighed, smiling at Bobo’s rather distraught face.

       “And it’s pretty funny, to be honest, because you _know_ that neither of my guns can actually kill you, yet you _still_ have your posy of bodyguards anyway.” She let out a sigh and pat his arm. “But it’s ok. I _completely_ understand. I know that sometimes I can be quite . . . _intimidating_.” She dropped her voice low, staring at him with fiery eyes. She heard him gulp, so she pulled her head back and gave him a dimpled smile. “You have a nice night, now!” He shot her a deathly glare before walking off with his tail between his legs.

       She turned her attention back to her girlfriend. “ _Agent Haught_ ,” Waverly smirked, running her hand down her upper arm. “Do tell how you grew eyes on the back of your head because I have no other explanation for how you would have known that.”

       Nicole laughed. “I heard him cock it when I flashed my guns,” she admitted.

       “ _Ahhhh_. Well, still, what you just did was . . .” She inhaled, nodding her head with a smile.

       “Mhm,” Nicole smirked, tilting her head up and giving her a kiss. When they pulled away, Waverly hooked her arm and they began scouting around again, stopping a few more times so Nicole could listen. She never heard anything that could help them, though.

       It was nearing 10 o’clock when Dolls told them to all gather in the middle of the building. Nicole and Waverly were already there so they all just joined them. “No ones found anything?” He asked. Everyone shook their heads.

       “It’s almost . . . too normal, if you ask me,” Nicole stated.

       “I agree,” Nedley sighed.

       The sound of loud footsteps walking across the floor drew them out of their huddle. “Good evening!” Bobo announced. The room grew quiet, everyone starting to pay attention to him. Waverly grabbed ahold of Nicole’s hand. “Is everyone having a good time?” He heard murmurs of agreement. “Well, I hope so because I am only going to say this once- _maybe twice_ \- I haven’t decided yet.” He was walking around the room very close to the crowds of people. “I have _good news_ and I have _bad news_. The good news is that there is an antidote.” Nicole inhaled sharply. “To what, you ask?” He laughed eerily. “Well, you see, that’s the bad news.” He picked up a bottle of champagne from the table they were standing next to and flipped it. “All this delicious bubbly that you have been drinking  _like drunken pigs_ has been poisoned.” Everyone around the room became uneasy, fear shining through their eyes. “You will all slowly go _batshit crazy_. _One_ lucky contestant will receive the antidote. All they have to do is bring me one person, dead or alive, and that one person is . . .” He pointed the bottle in their direction. “Miss Wynonna Earp . . . Have fun!” The room quickly erupted into chaos, a herd of people, some with foaming mouths, started to circle them.

       “Dolls, this was not one of the precautions you went over!” Wynonna exclaimed nervously.

       “Yea, well, I didn’t think he would poison the whole town!” Dolls and Nicole drew their weapons and she handed one to Doc.

       “Waverly, take Peacemaker and get out of here!” Wynonna said in an attempt at a whisper.

       She took the bag and grabbed onto Nicole’s arm. “You’re coming with me.”

       Nicole shook her head. “You’re dating a cop now, we go where the danger is.”

       “God, that’s sexy,” Waverly breathed, grabbing the back of her neck and pulling her in for a kiss.

       “Look, Nedley’s calling backup. We’re gonna contain this, ok?”

       Waverly nodded quickly. “Ok. Be careful.”

       Nicole kissed her hand. “I will, Love. You too, ok?” She said with a warning look. Waverly nodded again, giving her another quick kiss and rushing through the crowd towards the door.

       The remaining 3 quickly put Wynonna in the middle of a circle they formed, pushing people back that got too close. “Everybody just stay calm!” Dolls said to the herd.

       “We’ll give this Bobo fella exactly what he wants!” A lady screamed. Dolls pushed her back. A man ran at them and Doc shot him.

       “Doc! You can’t shoot them! I hate them and they hate me, but they’re still humans!” Wynonna said. They started to move her towards the outer wall of the hotel.

       “We’ve gotta get you out of here,” Dolls said to her.

       “I hope Waverly made it out ok,” she mumbled.

       “Don’t worry, we’ll find her,” Nicole assured, smacking a man with her gun.

       “No, _I’ll_ find her,” she corrected. “ _You_ get something that will turn the townspeople from rabid, drugged-up assholes back into regular assholes!” Nicole clenched her jaw, shoving back another guy that ran at them.

       “I’m sorry about this,” Doc sighed, pushing her towards the window.

       “For what?”

       “Me too,” Dolls said as they both picked her up and tossed her out the window.

       He turned back to the other two. “Antidote?” Doc asked.

       “Weapons?” Dolls added.

       “Angry townspeople? I like where this is headed,” Nicole smirked. They all looked at each other. “One, two, three, go!” They pushed through the crowd, knocking down those that need be.

 

**___**

 

       Waverly dashed out from the hotel and ran down the street, finding a line of cars and hiding behind one. “Waverly! Where is your sister, pretty lady?” One of the boys from the party that followed her out screamed. “C’mon Waverly! We just wanna talk!”

       “Forget talking! Where’s Wynonna!?” She heard two sets of feet running in the opposite direction. Waverly stood up and dashed to the next car, moving towards the end of it. She felt an arm wrap around her neck and cloth go over her face. She screamed, but the world around her faded to blackness.

 

**___**

 

       Dolls, Haught, and Doc all rushed into the BBD office, heading towards his safe. Doc went to light a cigarette, but Dolls flicked it out of his hand. “I doubt this building is up to code! You could burn it down!”

       Doc glared at him. ”This coming from the lawman packing enough heat to firebomb Texas.” Dolls opened the safe and shoved a vest at him. “You got any dynamite in there?”

       “Nope,” he grumbled.

       “Look, we gave Wynonna a lick and a promise that we wouldn't take out any townsfolk, but a drugged-up mob is not our only problem.”

       “Yea . . . Where are the _rest_ of the revenants?” The Officer asked.

       “I doubt they're having tea at the trailer park,” Dolls laughed.

       “You never know.” Doc held up two vials with blue and purple colored liquids in them. “We all have our vices. I think it's time we talked about yours.” Dolls stopped sorting things in the safe, looking up at him with a defeated stare. Nicole cocked an eyebrow.

       “It's not what you think. It's just medicine.”

       “Now see, that one I have heard before.” Dolls clenched his jaw. “I _am_ a doctor.”

       “Look, I've taken this since I was a kid. It helps keep me alive . . . and some parts of me dead.”

       Nicole stepped in between them. “Hey! Remember how the whole town’s gone 50-150?! How about we actually do something about it!” Dolls sighed, stepping back towards the safe. He tossed a shotgun at her. “Whatdya need?”

       “Get in uniform. You need to find the Earp girls. We’ve got an antidote to steal, people!”

       “Yes, Sir,” she smiled before rushing off to the locker room to change.

 

**___**

 

       Wynonna quickly rushed into the Homestead to change. She needed to find her sister as fast as she could. She called her on her cell over and over, but she didn’t answer. “Ughhhhh! Waverly where are you?” She was about to rush out the door on a wild goose chase for her, but she heard a ringing. “I don’t think that thing’s rung for 15 years,” she mumbled as she pulled clothes off of the top of it and answered it. “Hello. Woman-you-currently-want-to-kill. _Please be Waverly_.”

       “No, but I’ve got her! Where are my manners? This is _Chrissy Nedley_!” She sounded to be jacked up on the poison.

       “What do you mean you’ve _got her_?” Wynonna asked.

       “I found her and I chloroformed her and I tied her up. All by myself! Can you come and get her?”

       “Ya-”

       “And bring your head so I can chop it off and get the antidote! I’m in my dad’s office! Bye!”

       “Chrissy, wait-” The line went dead. “ _Shit_.” She quickly fumbled her coat on and rushed out the door, speeding off towards the station.

       She jumped out of the car and flew into the building. “Chrissy, don’t make me break that skinny little neck of yours!” She rushed in and saw a foamy-mouthed Chrissy barely standing upright.

       “All my friends are still out there!” She exclaimed.

       Wynonna pulled her on her feet. “I’m the only one that can save them, Chrissy!” She started moaning and groaning, body going limp in her arms. “Chrissy!” She laid her down on the ground slowly, quickly moving over to Waverly. She pulled the duct tape off her mouth. “Waves, you ok?” She asked, removing the random pieces around her arms.

       “Yea, I’m good. Is Chrissy ok?”

       “Yea, she’ll be good. You still got Peacemaker?” She grabbed the bag next to her, showing her the gun as she stood up.

       “Now what do we do?” She asked as they walked out.

       Wynonna’s eyes went wide. “Incoming,” she mumbled. Waverly looked towards the door, seeing Willa walk in.

       She crossed her arms as she approached them. “If it isn't my favorite sisters!” Waverly pushed herself against the front desk.

       “We are your _only_ sisters . . .” Wynonna pointed out.

       She threw her a look. “Bobo wants to escape the triangle. He just kidnapped me and tried to convince me to go with him! He says I need Peacemaker. Wynonna, I need it. I am going to act like I am going and then I am going to _shoot him_. He won’t even see it coming!”

       They both blinked at her. “Ya know, we would probably believe that if we didn’t already know that you’ve been working with him . . . and _doing_ him,” Waverly said.

       Her jaw clenched. “What?” She asked, shaking her head dumbly

       “We’ve known for _days_ now, Willa. You’re not getting Peacemaker.” Wynonna clutched the bag to her chest.

       She rolled her eyes and yanked a gun out of her waistband, pointing it at the two of them. “Either I get _my_ gun or _somebody_ is going to get hurt! Now, what will it be?”

       Waverly’s phone started ringing. “Hey, I knew I recognized that ringtone,” Nicole smiled as she walked in. Willa quickly shifted the gun towards her. Waverly’s breath caught in her throat. The redhead stopped and put her hands up. “Woah, ok, ok.”

       “Give me Peacemaker or I’ll punch a bunch of holes in Waverly’s sex toy,” she growled. The couple’s eyes went wide.

       “Sex toy?” Wynonna asked, raising her eyebrows at Waverly.

       She made a scared face that screamed guilty. “Sex toy!?” She asked angrily at Willa.

       “ _Sex toy_ ,” Nicole said with a glare, offended at the new nickname.

       “Oh, sorry, I wasn’t supposed to tell her about that, was I?” Willa said with a smirk, looking towards Waverly. Her mouth came open a little bit.

       “You have been _lying to me!_?” Wynonna asked loudly.

       “WYNONNA, THAT’S NOT REALLY WHAT WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT RIGHT NOW!” Nicole exclaimed.

       Wynonna took in the scene, quickly turning her attention back to Willa. “I know you won’t shoot,” she said nervously, shaking her head.

       “Why do I care about some ginger butch cop?” Willa asked, aiming the gun at her head.

       “Wynonna, she’ll do it,” Waverly pleaded.

       “ _Waverly_ ,” Nicole said through her teeth, needing her to do something.

       “You told me to protect it at _all_ _costs_ ,” Wynonna reminded. Waverly let out a small whimper, looking towards her very scared girlfriend.

       “If I don’t have it in three . . .”

       “No, please!” Waverly begged.

       “It’s the only thing that’ll stop Bobo,” Wynonna said.

       “Two . . .” Nicole inhaled sharply.

       “Wynonna!” Waverly said, looking towards her with tears in her eyes.

       “I can’t,” she breathed.

       “Please, I love her . . . and I know you love her deep down in there somewhere.”

       Willa cocked her gun. “One-”

       “Ok . . . OK!” Willa looked towards them and held her hand out. Wynonna sighed, handing the bag to her. She dropped the gun to her hip and Nicole let out a breath. 

       “So naive, so emotional,” Willa said as she shook her head at them.

       “This isn’t over. I’m coming for you,” Wynonna growled.

       Willa smiled. “Then I guess I better slow you down.” She quickly raised her gun, shooting Nicole. Waverly shrieked. The Officer flew back against the wall, falling face-first onto the floor. “Now you know what it feels like when people take your things.” She stormed out of the room. Waverly rushed over to her girlfriend, pulling her hair out of her face and slowly flipping her over. She was conscious, groaning in pain, still winded.

       “I know, I know,” she soothed, rubbing her hand on her cheek.

       Wynonna walked closer. “No blood,” she said. “There’s no blood.” She knelt down and pulled Haught’s head onto her leg by her hair. Waverly looked at her sister, tears rolling down her face. “If I just gave my evil sister that gun and you turn out to be some supernatural freakazoid . . .”

       Nicole sucked a painful breath of air in. “No, I’m-” Wynonna yanked the front of her shirt open, buttons flying across the floor. “Wearing a bulletproof vest,” she groaned with a small smile. Wynonna let out a relieved sigh and Waverly cupped her cheeks with a big smile. “Kinda operating procedure when we’ve got a 404 on our hands.” She noticed their confused stares. “Bunch of crazy hicks off their rockers?” Waverly laughed. “I knew you loved me, Earp,” she gushed, smiling up at Wynonna.

       The older Earp grabbed her chin, pulling her head upwards. “Don’t get too excited. I just found out your _schtupping_ my baby sister,” she grumbled menacingly.

       Nicole’s eyes widened, but she slowly smirked. “Are you _really_ that surprised? I mean, she’s-”

       Waverly clapped her hand over her mouth, shooting her a warning glare. “How about you two fight about this _later_? Right _now_ I am more concerned about getting _you_ to the hospital.”

       Nicole shook her head, taking in another painful breath. “No, no. I’m just a little bruised. You gotta go with Wynonna to stop Willa.”

       Waverly swallowed at the thought of leaving her. “Where’s Doc and Dolls?” She asked.

       “They went to raid Bobo’s. Something about the antidote.”

       Waverly wiped her face, looking down at her girlfriend. “Ok. Ok, I’m going with her. But you better get your ass home. Don’t tell me you’re fine. You _literally_ got shot.”

       Nicole pursed her lips, twinging at the jolt of pain that stormed through her chest. “I can’t promise that I’ll go home, but I promise you that I’ll be careful,” she said with a nervous grin.

       “Just . . . don’t do more than you can handle. Please?”

       “I won’t.”

       “Ok. Good.” Waverly leaned down and gave her a gentle, yet passionate kiss.

       “Ok, you guys do that,” Wynonna said as she stood and rushed to the other side of the room. Waverly pulled back and looked down at her with teary eyes.

       Nicole cupped her cheek. “I’m ok-”

       Wynonna threw a coat at them. “Times up, let’s go!” She ran out the door. Waverly wiped her eyes, gave Nicole one last kiss, and followed her sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ouch
> 
> Welp, like I said. That shouldn't have been surprising cause it was in the show. 
> 
> Next chapter will just be a quick recap of the night and then Haught gets ready for surgery. I'm not gonna write out the full thing because if you want to see what happened just watch the show. There's just no Gooverly and no demon monsters cause this story only has Revenants. You'll see, lol. 
> 
> Also, yes, I know it was the winter solstice in the show, but I changed it to kinda fit better with my screw up on the dates. Its only like 4 days after the actual March equinox, soooo
> 
> Let me know what you think below!!


	31. Luck of the Irish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole goes in for her surgery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I'm shooting these chapters out fast. 
> 
> Thank ya'll for your comments and kudos, they really keep me motivated!
> 
> Here we go!!!

       “WAVERLY!!” The brunette’s eyes shot open, scanning over her aunt’s face. “It was just a nightmare, Dear, it’s ok,” she soothed, wiping the tears off her face.

       “Wh- Is N-Nic ok?”

       Gus furrowed her brow. “Nicole is fine as far as I know,” she said, moving off from on top of her.

       “She got s-shot,” Waverly breathed, sitting up and clutching her hoodie to her chest as she leaned into Gus.

       “Shh. She’s ok, though, remember? It was just through her vest.”

       Waverly looked up at her, confusement on her face. “She . . .” All the events from the night before came back to her clearly now. “Nightmare,” she said quietly to herself. “Just a nightmare.” She rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

       “Was it not about him this time?” Gus asked softly, trying to clear up her own confusion.

       Waverly shook her head. “Willa shot h-her. A bunch. And I couldn’t d-do anything,” Waverly stammered. She suddenly grabbed the older woman’s shoulders. “ _Willa_.”

       Gus clenched her jaw. “Wynonna had to,” she reminded. “She knew if she was over that line for much longer bad things would happen.”

       Waverly remembered watching the scene unfold in front of her. Both of them wrestling over the gun across the line of the triangle. When Wynonna got it from her, she saw her point it at her. The barrel of Peacemaker went blue. And she shot her. She shot their sister to save the world. “Is Wy doing ok?” She asked with a sniffle.

       “She's still asleep, but she said she was last night. I know deep down she’s not. You can’t be ok after that. We’ll just have to see what transpires.” She took in a heavy breath. “I’m just glad you girls made it home safe,” she sighed, pulling Waverly closer to her chest.

       “Me, too.” They held their embrace for a minute or two. “What time is it?”

       “Almost 8,” Gus responded.

       Waverly scooted to the edge of the bed, stretching her arms out with a yawn. “Nic’s gotta be there at 10,” she said, more to herself than to Gus. She let out a groan, flopping backwards onto the bed. “ _Shae_.”

       “Shae?” Gus questioned.

       Waverly looked to her from her laying down position. “Her ex-wife is her surgeon.”

       Gus’ eyes went wide. “Ex-wife . . . that’s . . . unfortunate.”

       “Tell me about it.” She stood up. “She’s a bitch.”        

       Gus nodded, standing up and walking towards the door. “I can only imagine . . . I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee for you, Hun.” Waverly gave her a smile as a thank you as she walked out of her room. 

       She came down the stairs several minutes later, dressed in comfy sweatpants and a t-shirt. She had everything she was going to be taking with her. Purse, phone, charger, earbuds, Nicole’s hoodie, and a book. She got herself a travel mug full of coffee and grabbed her keys from the dish on the counter. “You keep me updated on how it goes, alright?” Gus said from the couch.

       “I will. I’m about 99% sure she’ll be staying the night there, so I am going to stay with her.” Gus nodded and Waverly gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Tell Nonna to text me when she gets up, ok?”

       “Make sure she doesn't give those doctors too much trouble,” she winked.

       Waverly smiled with a laugh. “Bye, Gus, Love you.”

       “Love you, too, Honey.” She gave her a wave and headed out to her Jeep.

       She climbed out of the car in front of Nicole’s house and knocked on her door, hoodie in hand. A very tired Nicole opened the door with a smile. “Morning.”

       “Morning. How are you feeling?” Waverly asked, walking inside.

       “Pain.” She walked slowly to the living room and eased herself onto the couch.

       Waverly clenched her jaw, sitting down next to her. “ _Baby_ . . . can I see?”

       “Yea, just be gentle.” Waverly gave her a nod that said _obviously_. She lifted her shirt up just below her chest, seeing the deep reddish-purple bruise that spread about 4 inches around a dark purple circle where the impact of the bullet hit. She looked up at her girlfriend with sad eyes. “Could be worse,” she said with a small smile. Waverly sighed, looking back down at it. “Could have gone through me.” Waverly jerked her head up, wide-eyed. The redhead’s face softened. “Wave, I was kidding,” she said quietly, placing a hand on her arm.

       “I thought it _did_ go through you, Nicole,” she snapped, voice cracking. She stood up and grabbed the hoodie, heading to her room.

       Nicole followed her. “Wave . . .” She walked up beside her as she sorted through her closet. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

       The brunette pulled a worn-looking blue hoodie off a hanger and slipped it on over her head, feeling how soft it was from being washed so many times. “It’s fine, sorry for yelling at you like that. I just . . . I thought she killed you, Nic.” She looked up at the redhead, a tear slowly rolling down her face.

       Nicole swallowed the angry ball that tried to work it’s way up her throat and pulled the smaller girl into a gentle hug. “I know . . . I’m not going anywhere, Baby,” she soothed, pushing her fingers into her hair. Waverly turned her head, resting her ear against her chest, body calming down at the sound of her heartbeat. The brunette pulled back after a few more seconds, grabbing her left hand, Nicole slowly rubbing her thumb along her knuckles. “You ok?”

       Waverly nodded. “Now I am, thank you.”

       Nicole smiled sweetly, giving her a feather-light kiss. She walked towards her bag that CJ had decided to lay on top of on her bed. “Can you grab me a jacket out of there? One of the zip-up ones?” Waverly sorted through her closet again, picking out a red FC Barcelona one. She helped Nicole put it on and grabbed her bag.

       They headed out back to the living room. “You ready to go?” Waverly asked.

       “I think so.”

       “Who's going to feed Calamity tonight?”

       Nicole pursed her lips, looking down at the feline rubbing herself against her leg. “Let’s see if Nedley will,” she said with a smirk. She pulled her phone out of her sweatpants pocket and dialed his number.

       He picked up after a few rings. “Haught, you better have a damn good reason for calling me on my day off.”

       “Hey, Nedley!” She said cheerfully.

       “What do you need?” He asked with a sigh.

       “Can you come and feed my cat tonight? Waves and I’ll both be staying the night at the hospital and I don’t trust Wynonna to . . .” Waverly nodded her head in agreement.

       “You should be _really_ glad you’re my favorite deputy.”

       She smiled wide. “Thank you, Sir.”  

       “Tell me how it goes today, ok?” She could hear the concern in his voice.

       “I will.”

       “Alright . . . Bye, Nicole, good luck. No more almost dying on me, ya hear?”

       “Bye, Nedley,” she laughed. “I’ll try my best, but I’m not making any promises.” She heard him mumble something along the lines of “I hope you like paperwork” before he hung up. Waverly smiled at her as she walked into the kitchen, digging around in her freezer. “What are you doing?” She asked slowly. Waverly turned around with a plastic baggie that she had filled with ice, tossing it up lightly and catching it. “Nooo,” she whined.

       “ _You are swollen_ ,” she grumbled, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around the bag. Nicole groaned.

       Waverly picked up her overnight bag again and they headed out the door towards her Jeep. She opened Nicole’s door for her. “That’s a first,” she joked.

       “Get in,” Waverly laughed. She sat down and Waverly put her seat back a little bit, gently laying the bag of ice on her chest and setting her sling on top of it to hold it in place. Nicole cringed as her body got used to the new pressure and temperature. “Ok?”

       “Yep,” she said, voice an octave lower than usual.

       Waverly opened the back and put her things in Nicole’s bag, walking around and climbing in the front. “Did you take anything for the pain today?”

       “I can’t. I looked it up last night and it said you aren’t supposed to take anything 24 hours before surgery or something like that.”

       Waverly gave her a pained look as she pulled away from the house, running her fingers along the hem of her sleeve. “Ugh, Willa is an ass . . . or _was_ an ass, I guess.” Nicole gave her a comforting smile, cupping her hand over the smaller girl’s.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The ride to the hospital was pretty peaceful. Nicole had fallen asleep about 15 minutes in and Waverly was pretty happy because she figured she hadn’t slept a lot the night before. They got caught in rush hour, so Waverly was happy that they left 30 minutes earlier than they needed to because they were stuck there for 20. Nicole had somehow stayed asleep through all of the car horns and madness. Waverly found a parking spot at the hospital and gathered all of their things before opening the redhead’s door. She placed her hand on her cheek, rubbing her thumb along her cheekbone. “Wake up, Sweetie,” she said softly.

       Her eyes slowly blinked open, meeting the smiling face looking down at her. “Where we at?” She asked groggily, brain obviously not at 100% yet. This was proven more so when she went to sit up, totally forgetting the condition of her chest. She yelped in pain, dropping back down and squeezing her eyes closed.

       “Be careful, Love,” Waverly warned, slowly sitting her seat up and unbuckling her seatbelt for her, tossing the _now_ _water_ pack onto the floor.

       “'M okay,” she mumbled, turning her body and stepping out. She rolled her neck and shoulders, feeling the stiffness from sleeping in the car. Waverly took a sip of her coffee, smiling as she watched the redhead shake the sleep off.

       When she finally gathered her bearings, they headed inside and a nurse took them to a room. “You’ll be staying here until you get taken to surgery. Your Surgeon and the Anesthesiologist will be in soon to discuss further information with you,” she informed with a smile. They thanked her and she left.

       Nicole got onto the bed and Waverly sat in the chair next to her, setting the bag on the chair across the room. “Are you nervous?” Waverly asked.

       Nicole shrugged. “Only about Shae digging around in my body,” she said with a smirk. Waverly laughed.

       There was a knock at the door 10 minutes later. Shae peeked her head in the room. “Guess who?” She said with a smile. Nicole shot her a look. “You look like a happy camper.”

       “Sure am,” she sighed, sitting up a bit.

       “The Anesthesiologist’ll be here any minute now,” she informed, looking down at her tablet. She sat and pulled the table out on her chair, setting some papers down on it. She looked up, narrowing her eyes at Nicole’s uncasted hand that was fixing her sling. She stood, taking it and bringing it to her face. “Nic, what the hell?” She asked with a little anger, running her finger along the bruising.

       Nicole took her hand back with a tut. “I’m fine,” she assured.

       “What are you punching?” She asked, turning her palms upwards. “Or . . . who are you punching?” She caught a look that quickly passed over Waverly’s face in the corner of her eye.

       “It’s none of your business,” the redhead reminded.

       She looked towards the brunette. “Can I talk to you for a sec? Outside.” Shae threw her thumb over her shoulder.

       Waverly cocked an eyebrow. “Ok?” She stood and followed the taller woman out of the room, looking back to her girlfriend, who mouthed “Good luck.”

       Shae closed the door and leaned against the wall. Waverly crossed her arms in front of her. “I know it’s none of my business, but I just have to make sure . . .”

       “Make sure of what?” Waverly asked, shrugging her shoulders.

       “She’s not . . . she’s not hurting you is she?”

       Waverly’s eyebrows shot up in shock. “ _What_?! No! Why the _hell_ would you think that?!”

       Shae pursed her lips. “I don’t know. You just looked _uncomfortable_ when I brought it up in there.”

       Waverly sucked one side of her cheek in and let out a laugh in anger. “Mmm. You wanna know why I was _uncomfortable_? The jackass she punched was groping me at the club the other night. And how her hand was already injured before she broke it? She knocked my ex-boyfriend out. The ex that she had previously stopped from _raping_ me.” Shae’s eyes went wide. “Do you feel better now?”

       “I- I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.”

       “Damn right you didn’t know! But you know what you _do_ know?” She raised her voice to a growl. “You know that there is not an _evil_ bone in that woman’s body, so the fact that you had the _audacity_ to accuse her of something like that?!” She shook her head, letting out a breath. “You two were _married_ , Shae. You know she would _never_ do something like that. Ever.” She turned and went back in the room, pulling a chair up on the other side of Nicole. Nicole was looking at her with a very concerned look on her face. Waverly shook her head. “Later.” Nicole sighed, watching the now agitated Dr. Pressman make her way back to her seat.

       A minute of silence later, the door opened and a man in blue scrubs popped in the room. “Sorry I’m late- _oh no_.”

       Nicole’s jaw clenched forcefully with a snarl and Waverly moved up to her bed, placing a hand on her shoulder to keep her from getting up like she was trying to. “Oh, fuck no, that son of a bitch is _not_ touching me,” she said, shaking her head at Shae.

       “Why?” She asked slowly.

       “He’s the reason I have to get this goddamn surgery in the first place!”

       Shae put her pen down. “ _He’s_ the one that said all that bullshit to you two?!”

       “Ya,” Waverly huffed.

       Shae shot up, walking over to the man. “Harbison, what the hell?!”

       He put his hands up. “My loyalty to God stands before everything. I’m sorry if they were offended by what I said, but I was only preaching his words!”

       Nicole let out a breath. “Dude, I’ve read that book like 3 times! I can assure you that _none_ of the shit that came out of your mouth was in there!”

       He scoffed. “He may not have called your kind of people~”

       Waverly straddled Nicole’s legs quickly and clapped her hands over her ears, tilting her head to look at her, not him. “Nope, nope, nope, nope~” She started repeating it loud enough so she couldn’t hear the horrible things he was saying.

       “You’re not on my surgical team anymore, Harbison!” Shae snapped after he finished his rant.

       His jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious! How can you agree with that kind of lifestyle!?”

       She got in his face, gripping the front of his scrubs. “ _I’m_ gay, you bigot! Now, get the fuck out of my pre-op room!” He quickly moved away from her like she was poisonous and stormed out of the room.

       Waverly moved her hands from Nicole’s ears, sliding them down to her cheeks. “Thank you,” she smiled sheepishly, wrapping her fingers around her wrist.

       “Anytime.” She gave her a kiss and rolled off her lap, squeezing beside her and throwing her legs over the taller girl’s. Shae hung up her phone and walked back to her seat, clearing her throat as she sat down. “Thank you, Shae. Really,” Waverly said with a sincere smile.

       “Pshh, no problem. I’m not working with someone like that,” she sighed, sorting through a stack of papers. “I just called in a new Anesthesiologist. She just finished another surgery, so she should be here in a little bit.” They both nodded. “So, first, you need to sign this. Shows that you are agreeing to allow people to cut into your body.” The redhead took the clipboard and pen, slipping her hand out of the sling to sign it. “And, Waverly, fill out the next page for her, I don’t want to read her chicken scratch.” She smiled, taking the papers and flipping to the next page. It was information about her medical insurance and medical history.

       She rubbed Nicole’s thigh. “I need your wallet, Baby,” she said as she wrote some stuff down. She dug around in her left pocket, handing it to her. Waverly sorted through it, finding her medical card. She continued filling in information.

       “Uhhm, are you on any medications?” Shae asked cautiously, aware of what was talked about during their fight last time.

       “Yes,” she answered with a look.

       “Did you bring the bottle?” Nicole moved her left arm down to the bed, pushing herself up.

       “Yep, let me get it,” she said, voice filled with pain. Waverly set the clipboard on her lap, gently pushing her back against the bed.

       “ _I’ll_ get it. _You_ need to stop moving.” She looked up to Shae. “Tell me if this looks normal to you?” She lifted Nicole’s shirt up before she could react.

       “Did you get _shot_?!” Shae gasped, moving towards the side of the bed. Nicole groaned.

       “Where’d you put it, Nic?” Waverly asked from her bag.

       “Left pockETHOLYSHIT!!” Shae had decided to feel around on her ribs. Waverly handed her the bottle and leaned down to examine it herself again. “I really hate both of you,” Nicole grumbled through a groan.

       “The ice brought some swelling down,” Waverly pointed out. Shae went to pull Nicole’s shirt up a bit more, but she smacked her hand away.

       “Haught, let me pull your damn shirt up, I’ve seen your tits before.”

       “Exactly,” she retorted.

       Shae gave her a glare. “I have a girlfriend, don’t think I’m too excited,” she said.

       Waverly snorted. “She does have pretty nice tits,” she admitted, watching Nicole’s face turn red.

       “That’s fair,” Shae agreed.

       Waverly pulled her shirt up a little more, holding it in place. “That’s all the underboob you get,” Waverly winked.

       Nicole rolled her eyes. “Can I go bash my head against the wall yet?”

       “I’d say go for it but I think your girlfriend would get mad at me.” She let Waverly pull her shirt back down and inclined the bed back up. “None of your ribs are broken, so you’ve just got deep tissue bruising. Should stop hurting in a week or so and will take about 8 weeks to go away.”

       “Joy,” Nicole deadpanned. Shae sat back down and Waverly went back to her papers. She continued going over a few more things about the surgery and asked her a few more questions.

       A woman in the same scrubs as Harbison came into the room. “Hi, I’m Dr. Alvarez,” she greeted, taking a seat next to Shae. She gave her the go-ahead to ask her own questions. “Are you naturally a redhead?”

       Nicole cocked an eyebrow. “Yes?” She said with a bit of a laugh.

       “You gingers tend to eat up the anesthesia quickly so we usually have to give you about 20% more than non-leprechauns,” she clarified.

       Waverly pinched her cheek. “Luck of the Irish,” she chortled with a heavy accent.

       They got everything worked out in about 20 minutes and Dr. Alvarez left, Shae leaving for a few minutes to go fetch someone to take her cast off. It happened to get the same lady that had put it on. “Hi, Cherry!” Waverly greeted when they both walked back into the room.

       “Hi!” She smiled, wheeling a little machine up next to the bed. Waverly helped Nicole out of her sling. Cherry put a cover over her lap to catch the dust and grabbed the saw off of the machine.

       “Um.” Nicole was looking at the circular blade.

       Cherry smiled, flicking the machine on and touching the blade to her own hand. “It's not gonna saw your arm in half, don’t worry.” Nicole relaxed a little and she began to cut, flipping her hand over to get the other side. She cut the cotton and pulled the cast off, wrapping it up in the cover she put on her lap. “Don’t move it yet.” She threw the cast away and came back over with a wet rag, wiping her arm down. Her hand was slowly curling into a fist and she was trying to prevent it from doing so. “Alright, Doctor, she’s all yours!” Cherry walked out of the room with a wave. Shae walked over and started examining her hand.

       “Alright, so. We are planning to make two incisions. One down your first finger and knuckle and one down your second. We’ll stick a pin to align your bones in your first finger and we’re gonna piece back this knuckle, sticking pins need be. The whole surgery should take 2-3 hours.”

       “Sounds like you’ve got some work to do!” The Deputy smirked.

       “Sounds like you’ve got another x-ray to get to! C’mon.” Nicole rolled her eyes, throwing her legs over the edge of the bed and slipping her slides back on.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “You look cute in a hospital gown,” Waverly smiled. A nurse was hooking Nicole up to a couple of different machines.

       “Like I said, I look good in everything.”

       Waverly rolled her eyes. “Nurse, can they put her under soon?” She looked up at her with a laugh.

       The Officer’s mouth dropped open in offense. “Hey!”

       “I’m sorry to tell ya, but we _actually_ are moving to the operating room right now,” the nurse smirked. Waverly stuck her bottom lip out at her sarcastically.

       She pulled the locks up on the bed and they started to roll down the hallway, meeting Shae halfway there. She had changed to scrubs at some point. “You ready for me to cut into your body?” She asked with a wide smile.

       “As long as you don’t sew an extra finger on me or something,” she grumbled.

       “Keep up with that attitude and I just might.” The nurse stopped them at a door. “Ok, you two be gross, Waverly can’t come in any further.”

       Nicole looked up and saw her girlfriend chewing on the side of her lip, something she knew she did when she was nervous. She reached over and placed her hand on top of the one she had resting on the bed. “Hey,” she soothed. “I’ll be ok. I hate to give her compliments but I know she’s a good Doctor.” Shae rolled her eyes.

       Waverly swallowed. “Ok,” she breathed. She leaned down and gave her a tender kiss, pulling away after a few seconds with a smile. “I love you.”

       “I love you more,” she winked.

       “Yea, ook.” Nicole laughed, pulling her in for one last kiss. Waverly stood up straight with a sigh. She looked to Shae. “You hurt her, I hurt you. Got it?” She nodded with a nervous grin. The redhead gave her hand an assuring squeeze.

       “We ready?” The nurse asked.

       Nicole looked to Waverly, who nodded. “Yep,” she confirmed. Waverly gave her a small smile as the nurse pushed her through the double doors. The brunette sighed, hugging her arms to her chest and walking back to the room they had been in to clear it out and head to the waiting room. She set the bag on a chair next to her pulled out her earbuds and the book she brought. She stuck them in her ears and pulled her hood up, resting her elbow on the arm of the chair and holding her head up with her hand, pulling her feet up onto the chair and opening up her book.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       About 2 and a half hours later, Waverly looked up at the Doctor that was walking down the hallway, quickly realizing it was Shae. She fumbled her music off, pulling her earbuds out and walking towards her. She noticed the way her eyebrows were bunched together and how her top lip was pulled into her mouth. “Shae?” She asked nervously.

       “Hi.”

       Waverly blinked at her. “What’s wrong? Your face is telling me something is wrong.”

       She pursed her lips. “Let’s sit down,” she sighed, placing her hand on her shoulder and walking her to where she was sitting.

       “Shae, _what the fuck_? Is she ok?” Her breathing got heavier.

       “Yea, she’s fine, I promise. You just have a decision to make.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll can yell at me below, I'm sorry. 
> 
> I don't know, is Shae still a bitch? I think she just has her moments. 
> 
> Also, side note, I'm sorry, but Nicole's injury from being shot at pretty close range would be a lot worse than the little discoloration they showed it on the show. So, that's why I made it worse.


	32. They Aliens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll get to learn what that awful cliffhanger was about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never felt more evil in my life.  
> I love it. 
> 
> Anywho, here's this chapter that ya'll have been shitting yourself over! 
> 
> I hit 500 pages on my Google Docs template with this one WOOO
> 
> Edit: I have no clue what those lines are, can't seem to make them fuck off

       “Wh- A _decision_? Just tell me what’s going on!” Waverly’s eyes were scanning desperately over her face.

       “Alright. Take a breath, Waverly.” She pulled her hand away from where she was gripping it around the neckline of her hoodie. “We have successfully realigned the bones on her 1st metacarpal with 2 pins. But the shattered knuckle is worse than we thought. I sat there for the past hour picking shards of cartilage out from her hand. I . . . I don’t know if we’re going to be able to save it.”

       “ _WHAT_?!?” She exclaimed, everyone in the room turning to look at her.

       “ _Waverly_ ,” she said in an attempt to calm her down. “This is where your decision comes in. I can try to put it back together. Or . . .” She pulled a small metal object out of her pocket. “We can replace her joint altogether with an internal prosthetic. We will shave off the remaining joint and drill a hole into either side of the two bones, pushing this is between them.”

       Waverly bit the inside of her bottom lip, taking the prosthetic and bending it carefully. “Ok . . . what are the risks?” She pushed the hood off of her head.

       “There are several things to take into consideration. Her body could reject the pyrocarbon material and that would most likely mean we would have to amputate her finger. We can't just leave it hanging there with no knuckle. She also could lose a good chunk of mobility with it, finger only bending halfway, maybe less. But, the option of putting it back together has many more risks and is almost certain to leave her with limited mobility.”

       The brunette pushed her hand through her hair. “ _Could_ she develop full mobility with this?”

       “Up to almost 97%,” she confirmed.

       Waverly handed it back to her. “Ok . . . Ok, yea. Let’s go with this,” she agreed nervously.

       “Yea?” She nodded. “Ok.” Shae stood up, Waverly following in suit. “We should be done in about 45 minutes and then we will move her to her room for the night. We’re going to watch her for one, maybe even two days to make sure her body isn’t rejecting it . . . Go get yourself something to eat, keep yourself busy.”

       “Ok . . . thank you, Shae,” she said with a small smile. She nodded, patting her shoulder. She turned away, pulling the mask back down over her face. Waverly sat back down, letting a puff of air out. She picked up her phone.

 

**Waverly: I just got an update on how it’s going**

**Gus 😊: What did they say?**

**Waverly: She said the shattered one is a lot worse than they thought so she gave me the decision for them to either try and reconstruct it or to just put a prosthetic joint in. I chose the joint option.**

**Gus 😊: Sounds like doing that would be a lot less risky**

**Waverly: Yea, it is, but she said that her body could reject the material or something and then they would have to chop her finger off. Gus, what happens then?? It’d be my fault!**

**Gus 😊: Sweetheart, you know Nicole would not blame you if something like that were to happen. And I doubt it will anyway. You don’t have anything to worry about!**

**Waverly: It's just a lot to take in, ya know?**

**Gus 😊: I understand. Just take a breather. She’ll be ok.**

**Gus 😊: It's your sister. Send me a vid off Haught Hands high off her ass, will ya?**

**Waverly: Yes, Wynonna 🙄**

**Waverly: Thanks, Gus. I’ll let u know how she’s doing when she wakes up**

**Gus 😊: Thank you, Dear**

 

       Waverly plugged her earbuds back in, pressing play on the song. She had previously paused it within the last 4 seconds of the other song so it quickly switched to the next. Surprise, surprise, it was Irresistible by Fall Out Boy and Demi Lovato; one of the songs she had adopted as a favorite from Nicole’s playlist. She leaned back with a steady breath, feeling a little bit calmer.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Standing up to throw the banana peel away that she had grabbed from the cafeteria, she saw Dr. Pressman walking down towards her. “Mission successful!” She said with a wide smile.

       Waverly felt a weight lift off of her shoulders. “Is she all done?”

       “Yep. We just got her in her room. Grab your stuff, I’ll take you down there.” Waverly smiled, grabbing her bag and previously refilled coffee. They began a walk down a long hallway. “She’s still out. Should come to in about 20-30 minutes. But all of her vitals are stable. We need to keep an eye on her blood pressure because it kept spiking during surgery, but I think that might have something to do with her body worrying about her chest and her hand at the same time. Other than that, everything was perfect!” They walked into the room and she saw Nicole lying there, wires galore. Her hand was on a flat splint, wrapped in elastic bandages. “We’ve already got her started on a morphine drip so that she won’t be in a whole bunch of pain when she wakes up. And when she does, hit that button for a nurse and they’ll come in, check her vitals again, and call me up to run more stuff over with you. Sound good?”

       “Yep! Thank you so much!”

       “Not a problem!” Waverly gave her a smile as she left the room. She grabbed Nicole’s laptop from her bag, signing in with the hospital wifi, and pulled Netflix up, starting an episode of the documentary series she had been watching recently. She had Nicole’s hand in her right and was subconsciously running her thumb over the top.

       About 25 minutes later, she felt Nicole’s fingers flex. She paused the episode and looked up at her, watching her eyeballs moving under her lids. Pulling her earbuds out, she set the laptop on the desk next to her. She scooted her chair to face her and took her hand in both of hers, pressing a kiss to her palm. Her eyes opened a few seconds later and she stretched them out, staring at the ceiling. “Hey you,” the brunette said quietly.

       Nicole flopped her head over, squishing her eyebrows together at her. Her face slowly softened into an awed smile with big puppy eyes. “You’re beautiful,” she slurred breathlessly.

       Waverly felt herself blush and she gave her hand a squeeze. “Well, thank you,” she smiled.

       “Whatsyur name?” She asked, tipping her head.

       She laughed a little. “My name’s Waverly.”

       Nicole’s eyebrows went up. “Wow,” she breathed. “That’s a really pretty name.” She looked down confusedly when Waverly ran her thumb across her hand. “That my hand?” She wiggled it around a little. “Holy shit, that is my hand!”

       “Shh, Nic, not so loud,” Waverly laughed, reaching over and pressing the nurse button.

       She backed her head away cautiously. “Woah now, you know my name?”

       A nurse walked in and Waverly turned her head, greeting her. “I do know your name,” she confirmed.

       “Does _she_ know my name?” She asked in a not so quiet whisper, looking at the nurse that was writing something down on a chart sheet.

       “Uhh, yea she probably does.” The nurse smiled at her.

       “ _Dude_ , you see how _drop-dead gorgeous_ this girl is!?” She asked the nurse.

       “Shh, Nicole, you gotta be quieter,” Waverly said with a smile, placing her hand on her shoulder.

       “Yes, she’s very pretty,” the nurse said with a little laugh.

       “D’you think she’s single?” The redhead asked in another attempt at a whisper. Waverly pulled her lips in, shaking her head at her.

       “I dunno, how about you ask her?” The nurse suggested.

       She turned timidly to the brunette. “Are you single?” She whispered.

       Waverly pat her hand. “I’m _your_ girlfriend, Nic.”

       She gasped loudly. “No, you’re not!”  

       “Shh, yes I am,” Waverly assured.

       She had a dopey smile on her face now. “Really?” She squeaked.

       “Uh-huh,” she smiled.

       Nicole laid her head back on her pillow, taking this bit of information in. She looked back at her teary-eyed after a few seconds. “Really?” She asked again.

       “Really,” Waverly nodded.

       Nicole laid her head back again. “ _Wow_.” The brunette heard her hiccup. “I can’t believe it,” she sniffled.

       “Oh, Baby,” she soothed, putting the side down on the bed and scooting closer to her.

       The nurse handed her a box of tissues. “I am going to get her some water and tell Dr. Presman she’s awake.”

       “Ok, thank you,” Waverly smiled. The nurse walked out. She pulled a tissue out of the box and pat it under Nicole’s eyes. “Shh, don’t cry.”

       Nicole did the _opposite_ , starting to cry a lot harder. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

       Waverly pouted her bottom lip out a bit, moving up to sit on the edge of the bed. She pushed her fingers through her hair. “It’s ok.”

       “I just can’t believe you’re _my_ girlfriend,” she sobbed.

       Waverly wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her in for a hug. “I know, it's unbelievable,” she smiled, pulling the tubes out of her nose.

       “Right!?” She calmed down after a few seconds.

       Waverly handed her a tissue, sitting back in her chair. “Blow your nose, Babe.”

       She grabbed it and went to use two hands, looking at the odd object wrapped around her right. “What is this?” She started flapping her hand around.

       Waverly jumped up, grabbing her hand and gently laying it on her lap. “You just had surgery, Honey, don’t do that,” she informed, looking at her wide-eyed.

       “ _Oh_ ,” she mumbled. She blew her nose with one hand, handing her pile of tissues to the brunette with a goofy smile. She threw them away and got some germ-x on her hand, bringing it over and rubbing her hands around Nicole’s. “I like nachos,” she sighed.

       Waverly pushed her tubes back in her nose.“Yea?”

       Nicole nodded. “Mhm.” Waverly pulled her phone out of her pocket, hitting record. The Officer gasped, tipping her head towards her. “You know whadelse I like?” Waverly raised her eyebrows at her. “ _Pancakes_! Who doesn’t like frickin pancakes?”

       “I don’t know, Nic,” Waverly laughed.

       “I had some _real good_ pancakes the other day.”

       “Yea, Gus made them, remember?”

       Nicole smiled. “I love Gus,” she mumbled. Waverly smiled. “And her pancakes.”

       “Say hi to her and Wynonna.”

       Her face saddened. “They in there?” She asked, pointing to her phone. “Wave, you gotta get em out, they’re gonna suffocate or som’n!”

       Waverly shook her head. “No, they’re home, Sweetie. I’m gonna _send_ this to them.”

       Nicole took a breath, pressing her hand to her chest. “Don’t _scare_ me like that!”

       “Shh,” she laughed. “I’m sorry.”

       Nicole started wiggling her finger around that had the pulse reader on it. “Is this gonna eat me?”

       Waverly reached out, stilling her finger. “Nope, it’s just taking your pulse.”

       The redhead narrowed her eyes at her. “They’re lying to you.”

       Waverly cocked an eyebrow. "Who’s lying to me?” She asked.

       The redhead signaled for her to come closer. “Them doctors,” she somewhat whispered. “Ain’t doctors. They _aliens_.”

       Waverly stifled a laugh. “Oh yea? How do you know?”

       She held her hand up. “How’s this thingy taking my pulse if my heart is in my _chest_? Huh? _They’re trying to read my mind!_ ”

       “You might be onto something there,” she sighed. “Nic, say something to Wynonna, she wanted a video of you. You remember who that is, right?”

       Nicole threw her a look. “How could I forget . . . Hey, asshole, what’s poppin’? Probably your pussy.” She laughed at herself.

       “ _Nicole_ ,” Waverly hissed.

       “I’m kiddinggggggg. Love you, bitch.” She shot a finger gun at the phone.

       Waverly shook her head at her, turning the phone towards her. “I’m so sorry, Gus,” she laughed, turning it back to her girlfriend. “Nic, how come you remembered them but not me?”

       Nicole cocked an eyebrow at her. “How could I forget you? You’re my future wifey,” she smirked.

       Waverly's eyebrows went up. “You better stop talking before future Nicole’s face gets any redder than I already know it is,” she laughed. The door came open and Shae and the nurse walked back in. The nurse held a cup with a straw towards Nicole. She took it, chasing the straw around with her mouth. She gave her a little help, holding the straw steady for her.

       “How bad is she?” Shae asked, walking to the end of her bed, Nicole giving her a stink eye.

       “You better be careful, she thinks all of you are aliens,” Waverly warned.

       “Eh, even sober Nicole thinks I’m an alien, it's ok.” She walked to Nicole’s side, picking up her right hand.

       “Say bye, Nic!” Waverly cheered.

       “Peace, doggg!” Waverly snorted, ending the recording and sending it to Gus with the caption _Watch at your own risk_. She shoved her phone back in her pocket and walked to Shae’s side.

       “Alright, Elle, go ahead and give her another dose of morphine. I’m gonna examine this and I don’t need her moving around. She needs to sleep the rest of this off anyway,” she said, smiling at Waverly, who definitely agreed. The nurse walked around to the other side of the bed and pressed a button, sending a larger dose into her body.

       “ _Aliens_ ,” Nicole whispered at Waverly.

       She shook her head, taking the cup from her and setting it down. “ _Doctors_ ,” she corrected.

       Nicole’s eyelids started to droop. “They’re taking me,” she slurred.

       Waverly pushed her fingers through her hair, giving her a kiss on the forehead. “Goodnight, Love,” she smiled.

       “Don’t let em . . . take my pancakes . . .” Her eyes shut for good.

       Waverly sighed a laugh, Shae shaking her head at her. “That was fun.”

       The Doctor let out a laugh. “Sounds like it was.” She began to remove the bandages, revealing some cotton gauze over her sutures. She set it all on the cart she had brought with her, peeling the gauze away. “Looks really good so far. No _concerning_ discoloration or swelling. I do think we are going to let the air hit it while she’s sleeping, though.” Waverly nodded. Shae wrapped the elastic bandage around her wrist and flat splint, leaving the top portion of her hand open. “Go ahead and let us know when she wakes back up, she should be sober then. It’ll be an hour or two, maybe more. Someone’ll be in every hour to check her vitals, though.”

       “Alright, thank you!” The nurse and Shae headed out again. She sighed, smiling at the sound of her breathing.

       After a trip to the bathroom, she grabbed Nicole’s laptop and climbed into the bed next to her, scooting her over to the right side of the bed. She couldn’t sit in those uncomfortable chairs anymore. Shimmying under the blanket, she plugged her earbuds back in and continued her episode, pushing a kiss into the hand that she was holding on her lap. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       At 6 o’clock, she raised her head from its position on her shoulder when she heard her make a small noise. She shut her phone off, smiling at her barely opened eyes. “I’m alive,” the redhead rasped.

       “Do you remember me this time?” Waverly chuckled, reaching over her to grab her water, holding the straw out for her.

       She cocked an eyebrow, taking a sip. “What d’you mean?”

       Waverly smiled, shaking her head and tapping lightly on her stomach. “I’ll fill you in later.”

       She blinked her eyes, rubbing her temple. “My head hurts,” she mumbled.

       Waverly sighed, pressing the nurse button. “Probably from all the medicine.”

       “How’d it go?” She looked towards her hand, bringing it closer to her face.

       Waverly clenched her jaw. The door came open, Shae and a nurse walking in. “You’re about to find out.”

       “You still think I’m an alien or are we past that?” Shae joked.

       “Did I embarrass myself?” Nicole asked cautiously, looking towards her laughing girlfriend.

       “Most definitely,” she nodded. She groaned, pushing her head back against the bed.

       Shae pulled a chair up next to them. “How are we feeling, any pain or chills?” The nurse asked.

       “My head hurts, that’s about it.” She nodded, jotting it down.

       Shae did another look at her hand as the nurse walked out. “Alright. So, the surgery was . . . successful for the most part.” She turned her tablet towards them, showing an x-ray. Waverly saw the two pins in her first metacarpal and the metal joint in her second. “We had-”

       “What the _hell_ is that?!” Nicole asked wide-eyed, zooming in on the prosthetic. Waverly grabbed and squeezed her hand, Shae glaring at her.

       “I’m gonna tell ya! The x-rays we had previously taken didn’t show us how damaged your knuckle was. Waverly and I discussed it and we decided it would be safer to just replace your whole joint with an artificial one.” Waverly saw the nerves gather on her face, feeling her palm become sweaty in her hand. “Now. Before you start freaking out. You have the possibility to gain almost 100% full mobility with it. And right now, it looks like your body is accepting it. If I would have tried to reconstruct it, there’s no telling how much you would be able to move that finger. Trust me when I tell you that this was by far the better option.”

       Nicole inhaled deeply, letting it out slowly. “So . . . I’m Iron Man now?” She said with a completely straight face, looking at her girlfriend.

       “Oh my _God_ ,” she groaned, smacking her arm.

       Nicole smirked, rubbing her thumb in a pattern on her thigh. “What happens now, Doc?” She asked, looking towards the other woman.

       “You’ll be in this splint until your stitches come out, then we’ll maybe put you in a cast again, I’m not sure yet. When it is _completely_ healed, we’re gonna pull the pins out and you are going to start physical therapy.” Nicole nodded. “We are keeping you for the night to monitor your vitals, and hopefully you can go home sometime tomorrow afternoon.”

       Dr. Pressman added some new gauze to her stitches, rewrapping it all the way, answering Nicole and Waverly’s questions before she left again, Nicole’s most prominent one being “Can I eat yet?”, for she hadn’t eaten since the Taco Bell the day before. Waverly set out to pick them up some Chinese food from the place she saw a mile or two away from the hospital.

       “Can you tell me what I was saying now because I am really concerned,” Nicole asked, shoving a piece of chicken in her mouth.

       Waverly smirked. “How about I show you?”

       The Officer almost choked. “No you didn’t.”

       She smirked even wider, pulling her phone out of her pocket. “I didn’t catch on video how you were sobbing tears of joy just before this because you found out that I was your girlfriend.” Nicole blushed. The brunette smiled at her, giving her a chaste kiss as she started the clip. They both laughed as it played through.

 _“Hey, asshole, what’s poppin’? Probably your pussy.”_ Nicole snorted.

_“Nicole!”_

_“I’m kiddinggggggg. Love you, bitch.”_

_“I’m so sorry, Gus . . . Nic, how come you remembered them but not me?”_

_“How could I forget you? You’re my future wifey.”_ Nicole’s breath hitched.

 _“You better stop talking before future Nicole’s face gets any redder than I already know it is.”_ Waverly paused it, looking up at Nicole, who was wide-eyed and very, _very_ red.

       “Mm, I was right!” She pinched her cheek.

       “Apparently I had no filter,” she mumbled. Waverly smiled bashfully at her, letting the remainder of the video play through. Nicole shook her head at herself when it ended.

       “I don’t know about you, but this was enjoyable for me.” She took a drink of her soda to hide her smile.

       “I’m sure it was,” she sighed.

       Waverly leaned her head on her shoulder. “Really though, if I ever start doubting your feelings for me, I’m just going to remember the look on your face when you first saw me after you woke up. You smiled at me like I had just hung the stars in the sky or something. It . . . It was really something.”

       “You probably got to see how I look at you when you’re not looking cause I feel like that’s how I always am looking at you,” she smiled.

       Waverly felt her heart swell. “That was sweet,” she mumbled. Nicole pulled her in for a kiss, stealing the last crab rangoon as she did so. She had already eaten half of it when the brunette realized. “NICOLE!”

       “What?” She asked with a mouthful. Waverly scoffed, yanking the remaining bit from her hand. The redhead laughed. “Gimme my laptop.” Waverly handed it to her from the end of the bed. “Someone got bored,” she smirked, clicking out of her Netflix.

       “You were asleep for almost 3 _hours_ ,” Waverly reminded. Nicole pulled up the MLB TV website, clicking to watch the live Rangers game. “Should I be excited?” She asked when she came back from throwing their trash away.

       Nicole smirked, wrapping her arm around her waist, pulling her closer. “You should be _ecstatic_.”

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Aside from Nicole angrily digging her fingers into her side when the other team scored a run or the Rangers made a bad play, she enjoyed listening to her teaching her about the game and watching her get adorably excited when they did something good, especially when they ended up winning at the end. She helped her change into her regular clothes as they started to wind down for the night. “Can you grab my pills while you’re over there?” Nicole asked as Waverly grabbed her a shirt out of the bag.

       “Yea, where’d you put them?”

       Nicole turned towards her. “What do you mean where did _I_ put them? Didn’t she give them back to _you_?”

       Waverly blinked at her. “No . . . I thought she gave them to you.” Nicole stared at her for a long couple of seconds before she walked over to her bag, scouring every inch of it. She looked to her girlfriend with a helpless look on her face. “Ok. Here.” She helped her slip the shirt over her head.

       “Wave, I need my shit,” she said shakily as she gripped her arm. “I’ve _never_ missed a dose and I don’t plan to start now.”

       The brunette moved her other hand to her cheek. “It’s ok. We’re gonna get it,” she assured calmly. “You are gonna go lay down, relax. And I am going to see if I can find Shae, alright?” She nodded, trying to still her shaky hands. “Ok.” Waverly sat her down on the bed and kissed her on the forehead, assuring her she would be right back. She slipped her shoes on and left casually out of the room. Closing the door, she began to walk quickly down the long ass hallway, finally making it to the receptionist desk.

       “Hi, Dear, how can I help you?” The woman behind the counter asked.

       “Do you happen to know if Dr. Pressman is still here?”

       The lady did some typing on her computer. “Why do you need her?”

       “Um . . . I just had a question for her,” she said with a smile. She didn’t think it would be a good idea to tell her she might have accidentally stolen her girlfriend’s medication.

       The nurse tutted. “Nope, I’m sorry, seems she clocked out about 30 minutes ago. I can send her an email if you’d like?”

       Waverly swallowed. Hard. She tapped her fingers on the counter. “No . . . that’s ok, I’ll just . . . ask her tomorrow. Thank you though.” The nurse gave her a smile as she turned away. She rushed back down the hallway, taking a second to calm herself down before she walked back into the room. She went over to Nicole, who was sitting up and facing the wall. “Nic?”

       The redhead looked up at her, face drenched in a cold sweat. “Where is she?” She breathed.

       Waverly grabbed a tissue, wiping her face down a little. “She’s not here. But I’m gonna call her, ok? Give me your phone.” Nicole nodded, shakily digging around in her pocket, unable to get it out. She let out a few whimpers and Waverly gently placed her hand on top of hers, grabbing it for her. “You’re ok,” she soothed, sitting down next to her and rubbing her hand on her thigh. She typed in her name, contact coming up as “Shae Bitchman”. She called her, pressing the phone firmly against her ear. It rang and rang. Voicemail. She hung up and tried again. Voicemail. Her own heartbeat began to thump louder and louder in her ears, and Nicole’s breathing became sharper and sharper. By the 6th attempt, Nicole was full-on hyperventilating. She held the phone to her ear with her shoulder, scooting back onto the bed and pulling the redhead into her lap. She gripped her hoodie tightly, chest heaving in and out uncontrollably. “Shh, you’re ok, Baby. I know you’re scared. We’re gonna get it. Shh.” Voicemail. Voicemail. Voicemail.

       “ _Wave- can’t- breathe- hurts_.” She gripped the side of the brunette’s face, her own reading full-blown terror. Waverly scooted out from under her, reaching over and pressing the emergency button on the side of the bed. Voicemail. A tear rolled down Waverly’s face as the redhead hugged herself to her chest. Three nurses barrelled into the room, taking in the scene. Waverly choked back a sob with an apology as she peeled Nicole off of her so the nurses could take over. Voicemail. One nurse got a breathing mask over her face, ordering another to get her some Xanax. The third grabbed onto Waverly’s arms, asking her what caused it.

       “Sh- Dr. Pressman forgot to give back her Prozac. Sh-she’s never missed a dose so she started flipping her shit and I’ve called Shae like 100 times, but she won’t pick up. Can you like p-page her or something, I don’t know, just get her to answer her damn phone.” Voicemail.

       “Yep, on it.” She ran out of the room just as the other came back.

       “0.5 Milligrams?” The one trying to calm the redhead down asked.

       “Yep,” she responded as she injected it into her arm.

       “ _Baby_ ,” Nicole cried out, reaching out her left hand, quickly dropping it, body too weak to hold it up. Voicemail.

       Waverly rushed over to her side, nurse stepping out of the way. She grabbed her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. “I’m so sorry,” she sobbed, dropping to her knees beside her bed. She could see she could still barely breathe. Voicemail.

       The third nurse came back into the room. “I just sent out a page,” she informed.

       Waverly gasped, standing to her feet, hearing the phone pick up. “Nicole, what the fuck?!” Shae demanded.

       “It’s Waverly, did you throw your phone away?!”

       “I’m sorry, it was on silent in the other room! What the hell is going on?!”

       “You took her fucking Prozac and the nurses just had to fucking sedate her cause she was having a panic attack! You need to find that shit and haul your ass back up here!”

       She heard her moving around quickly. “Holy shit,” she breathed. “I was too focused on her chest earlier that when I logged it I just shoved it in my coat pocket. Hold on.” She heard her toss the phone down, picking it up a few seconds later. “I’ve got it.” Waverly let out a breath. “I’ll be there in 15 minutes.”

       “Thank you.” She hung up, looking down at Nicole with a smile, wiping her face off. “She’s coming, Love.” One of the nurses switched her to a nasal oxygen tube and, having done everything they could, they left the room. Waverly crawled back onto the bed, pulling the shivering redhead back into her arms, moving the cord of her tube to the other side. “Everything’s gonna be ok.” She kissed her forehead, whispering similar reassurances in her ear every so often as her body slowly calmed down.

       Shae came into the room just as she said, about 15 minutes later. She saw Nicole hugging herself to Waverly, looking so small. “I’m so sorry-”

       Waverly held a hand up. “Don’t . . . You can do that tomorrow or whatever.” Shae handed her the bottle. “Thanks . . . for bringing it.”

       “What’d they give her?” She asked.

       “Xanax.”

       “Don’t let her take one tonight then. They probably gave her enough to outdo 2 of those.” Waverly nodded. “Have a good night,” she said, offering up a small smile.

       “Yea, you too. Can you flip that light off?” She nodded, doing so and walking quietly out of the room. Waverly pressed her face into the top of Nicole’s head, exhaling deeply.

       “Sleep time,” she whispered with a slight slur.

       “Mhm.” Waverly reached over, reclining the bed all the way. “Get comfy.” She unhinged her fingers from Waverly’s arm and laid down, curling up on her when she laid herself down, pulling the blanket to her chin. The pain in her chest had numbed her front at this point so she couldn’t even tell if it hurt or not. “I love you.”

       Nicole kissed the bottom of her cheek. “I love you . . . to infinity and beyond . . . what’s his name? Buzz Lightning?”

       Waverly sighed a laugh. “Close enough.” Nicole mumbled an agreement against her chest, quickly drifting off to sleep with the help of the medicine she had been given.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeesh
> 
> See, you people had nothing to worry about, Nicole is fine 😂
> 
> I'd like to think that that is how Nicole would actually react to being on anesthesia. Forgetting she had a girlfriend and then forgetting that she forgot she had a girlfriend. And then there's pancakes. 
> 
> The idea of Nicole freaking tf out about not having her shit really makes sense when you think about her character as a whole and I'm glad that idea popped into my head. She's lived the past 10+ years depending on them and the thought of that disappearing even for a little while honestly sounds quite terrifying tbh. She'd never been off them so she didn't know what would happen if she did. 
> 
> Let me know what ya'll think below! Were my attempts at humor flawed? Sometimes I think I'm funny when I'm not...


	33. Teacher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole gets dispatched from the Hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> I'm glad you liked the last chapter!
> 
> This one is shorter than usual, so sorry about that. 
> 
> Still, hope you like it!

       A couple of nurses came in throughout the night, all knowing that Waverly wasn’t supposed to be in the hospital bed. But, how could they wake them up? An aw had come out of every single one that walked in.

       At around 8 AM, Waverly woke up from the stream of light coming from the window, streaming directly on her face. She bunched her eyes closed, letting out a small groan as she uncrossed her legs, popping her ankles. She looked down at the smushed face against her chest, slowly pushing her fingers through her hair, watching her smile in her sleep. She picked her phone up from the table next to her and began scrolling through Instagram, not wanting to disturb her.

       30 minutes later, she heard a breathy sigh come from Nicole so she looked down, seeing her face move a little before she actually opened her eyes. Waverly smiled down at her, rubbing the pad of her thumb on her cheek. She looked like a sleepy little kid, sun shining in and turning her eyes a golden honey color. “Sleep well?” She asked, voice a little hoarse from not speaking yet.

       “Mhm,” she mumbled with a smile. “I stay here,” she sighed groggily, snuggling her head into her chest and tugging the blanket up some more.

       The brunette’s brain was in cuteness overload, so she smiled sweetly at her, still lightly running her thumb across her cheek. “Ok, Baby.” She let out a content sigh, dimple popping out on her cheek.

       After 10 minutes of her dozing off for a little then blinking back up at Waverly, a nurse peeked her head in the room, seeing that the brunette was awake. She pointed towards Nicole, questioning if she was also awake. Waverly nodded, pushing her hand through her hair. The nurse walked in the room and she saw she had a clear cup with a pill and a cup of water. “Cole, get up,” she whispered. Nicole mumbled a negative response. “C’mon, you gotta take some medicine.”

       “Comfy,” she grumbled.

       Waverly pushed herself up on her elbows. “I know, I’m sorry, Love.” Nicole whined again. Waverly dropped herself back down, pulling her arm off of her and kicking her leg off of her lap.

       “Waveee.” Waverly shook her head at her, looking at the very amused nurse with a smile. She reclined the bed up so she was forced to sit up. Nicole whined again, flipping herself over to her back.

       The nurse handed her the two cups to give to the feisty redhead. “First round of painkillers. We are going to give her a 10-day prescription of them.”

       Waverly jabbed her elbow into her as she tried to curl into her side. Nicole’s eyes popped out of her head with a breathless groan, Waverly having just knocked her right in the chest. “Oh my gosh!” She sent both cups down, turning towards her. “Are you ok, I’m so sorry!” She groaned as she tried to suck some air back into her winded chest. She gently pulled her shirt up, making sure she didn’t- she didn’t even know, she just wanted to make sure it still looked normal.

       “Holy- How’d you do that?!” The nurse exclaimed, looking around the brunette.

       Waverly gently ran her finger over the top of it. “She got shot,” she informed, back facing her.

       “She- _huh_?!”

       “I’m a cop,” Nicole managed to get out. “Shot through my vest.”

       “ _Oh_ . . . Do you want some ice or something?” The nurse offered.

       “No,” Nicole said, pulling her oxygen tube off her face.

       “Yes,” Waverly said at the same time, glaring up at her. “Please,” she said, looking back at the nurse with a smile. She nodded and left the room. “I’m so sorry, Babe, I wasn’t thinking.”

       Nicole pat her leg. “It’s ok, I know.” She sighed, handing her the medicine. She tipped it back, Waverly handing her the water after.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       After one more round of a cleared x-ray, they were told they could go home. They were just about to head out when Dr. Pressman popped into the room with a new splint. “Hey . . .” Waverly watched her body stiffen.

       “Shae,” Nicole greeted, back towards her as she zipped up her bag. 

       “I brought you a better splint,” she said, offering it out towards her when she turned around.

       “Thanks.” She walked to the table to strip off her old one. The new one had elastic bands that held her fingers together, palm flat out. It had two wrist straps, so she didn’t have to wrap it up with anything to hold it on.

       “Just . . . change bandages once a day for about a week . . . I made you an appointment a month from today to come and get it checked up.”

       Nicole nodded, velcroing the final strap. She grabbed her bag, throwing the strap over her shoulder. “Sounds great,” she said with a bit of a bite. “Let’s go, Babe.” She held her hand out for Waverly.

       “Nic, you know I’m sorry,” she called after her.

       The Officer turned towards her. “Yea. You better be,” she quipped with a huff. She pulled Waverly out the door. They walked silently out to the car and she set her things in the back, climbing in and leaning against the door. The brunette looked towards her, biting the inside of her lip as she started the car with a sigh.

       The whole first half of the ride was quiet, besides the low music coming from the radio. Waverly couldn’t take it. “You wanna get lunch or something?” She asked, glancing towards her.

       “Sure.” 

       She pursed her lips a bit. “Where do you want to go?”

       “Wherever you want to go,” Nicole answered, looking towards her with a small smile. Waverly returned it, resting her hand on her thigh. She cupped the top of her hand after a few seconds, running her thumb along her fingers. Waverly pulled into a Denny’s parking lot about 5 minutes later. They got out of the car in true Denny’s fashion: messy buns, no make-up, and the clothes they slept in at 1:30 in the afternoon. The brunette scooped her hand up as they walked towards the entrance. Nicole opened the door, holding it open with her foot as she smacked her butt as she walked past. She shook her head at her, face a dark shade of crimson. A waiter took the couple to their booth and handed out their menus. He left with their drink orders.

       “Now, the real question is do I want breakfast or lunch,” Waverly mumbled, leaning over her menu.

       “I know what I want.” She looked up at Waverly with a devilish smirk.

       “Pancakes?” She guessed, looking up at her through her lashes.

       Nicole’s smile broadened. “Mhm!”

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The waiter returned with their orders, handing them each their Chocolate Banana Pancakes. Nicole held in her happy giggle until the man was out of earshot. “This screams diabetes,” Waverly laughed.

       “I think you may have translated wrong, I hear _eat me_.” The brunette snorted into her coffee. They began to eat, chatting away.

       “Did you know that pancakes have been around since the Stone Age?” Waverly asked, snatching a slice of banana off her plate.

       Nicole looked up at her, slowly shaking her head. “I did not know that, thank you, Teacher.” Waverly went to make a face, but paused, setting her fork down and staring at Nicole with an unreadable face. “What?” She asked, scrunching her eyebrows together.

       “Teacher,” she said quietly.

       Nicole was still confused. “Ok . . . what about it?”

       Waverly propped her elbow up on the table, resting her head on her knuckle. “Would I be a good teacher?”

       The redhead's eyebrows went up, a small smile on her lips. “I think so, yea,” she nodded. “Is that something you’ve been thinking about?”

       “Not until this very second,” she said with a little laugh.

       “You’ve really never thought about that before?”

       “Well, I mean, maybe when I was a kid . . . You really think I’d be good at that?”

       Nicole nodded, blowing bubbles in her chocolate milk. “I mean you _love_ kids. You’re super freaking smart. You like to boss people around all the time.”

       “Watch it,” she warned, getting a banana ready to flick on her fork.

       Nicole chuckled. “Really though, I think you’d be, like, the best teacher Purgatory has to offer . . . or wherever you decide to work.” Waverly smiled. “ _Miss Earp_.”

       She giggled with a blush. “Now you’ve got me all excited. We’re looking all kinds of stuff up when we get home.”  Nicole nodded furiously, chewing through the half a pancake that she shoved in her mouth.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “I missed you!” Waverly cooed to the large furball she picked up when she walked in the door.

       Nicole rolled her eyes, tussling the hair on CJ’s head as she walked past. “Can you feed her, Wave? I need to unpack all this.” She was already in her bedroom.

       “Yea!” She tapped a can of cat food into her bowl and set it on the ground, getting her some fresh water as well. She walked to Nicole’s room, finding her leaning halfway off the bed, plugging the charger in behind her headboard. “Having fun?”

       “Tons,” she deadpanned, looking up at her slightly red-faced from her head being upside down. Waverly pouted her lip out at her. “What?” She mimicked, pouting her own lip out.

       “You need to get better so I can lay on you without hurting you,” she whined.

       “Aww . . .” Nicole smiled, picking up her laptop. “But, now I get to lay on you all I want!” 

       She smiled, crawling onto the bed and stacking up the pillows for her to lean against comfortably. She laid back and Nicole plopped herself on her back, head against her chest, and pulled the blanket up over them. She balanced the laptop on her stomach and the brunette wrapped her arms around her, logging onto it. “Ok. What now?” She asked.

       Nicole looked up at her. “I dunno, what d’you wanna know?”

       “How does one become a teacher.”

       “Look it up!”

       “Ok!” She spoke as she typed. “How do you become a teacher in Alberta?” She clicked enter and Google gave her a whole bunch of information. She took a good 30 minutes clicking around and reading through a whole bunch of websites. Nicole was trying to keep up, but it seemed that she was a _very_ fast reader. She finally broke the silence. “Well, that doesn’t sound _too_ hard or unreasonable.”

       “I don’t think I understood any of that,” the redhead sighed.

       “If I am _actually_ going to go through with this, I think my best bet is to get another Bachelor’s Degree. One in Education.”

       Nicole snapped her head up at her. “More college?!”

       She nodded. “If I were to _just_ do the after-graduate program, which I will still have to do anyway, I would only be able to teach in history. And that probably means high school. So _no thank you_.”

       “So, you’re telling me that, _hypothetically_ , _my baby_ is going to have _two different degrees_?”

       She was quiet for a few seconds. “I’m not so sure this is hypothetical anymore, Nicole.”

       The redhead tossed the laptop off her lap, flipping around up on her knees. “You’re really gonna do this!?” She asked with a big smile.

       Waverly matched it. “If I can find an online college that’ll give me a degree!”

       The Deputy's smile widened impossibly wider. “AHHHH, I’M SO EXCITED!!!” She pulled her girlfriend into a hug, rocking her back and forth.

       Waverly giggled. She pushed her back suddenly. “I should probably go buy a laptop.”

       Nicole tipped her head at her. “You don’t have one? How’d you do your other online courses?”

       “I used Curtis’ old one. I had just finished my Bachelor’s Degree and was about to start my Master’s when it broke. Never got around to buying a new one,” she shrugged.

       Nicole hopped off the bed. “Well, c’mon, let’s go!” She had already slipped her slides on and was heading for the door.

       “Right now? Nic, I don’t have the-”

       “I’m buying it!” She heard the front door close. She sighed, knowing it wasn’t up for debate. She headed out the door, seeing that Nicole was in the driver’s side of her Jeep.

       She hopped in, shaking her head at her with a smile. “You don’t have to, you know that right?”

       “Mm, I know I don’t have to.” She pulled her head closer by the back of her neck, sliding her hand to the bottom of her chin. She began to punctuate everything she said with a kiss on her face. “But you’re my baby. And I love you. And I’m _really_ happy for you. And you deserve it.” She landed the last kiss on her lips, giving her an unmistakably affectionate kiss, pouring all of her feelings into it. When she pulled away, they both kept their eyes closed, not wanting to lose that feeling just yet. When they did open them, they blinked slowly at one another. “And because I’m so happy right now, we’re gonna go get the Corvette. Also because I miss her, but still.” Waverly smiled sweetly, pulling her into an intoxicating kiss, hand on both cheeks.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The brunette had somehow managed to keep her hands off of her long enough for her to get to the garage. Waverly climbed out of the car, swaying her hips ever so slightly as she walked up to the door, waiting for Nicole to catch up. She stopped behind her, wrapping her right arm around her front and pulling her back into her, leaving open-mouth kisses along her neck as she unlocked the door with her other hand. She flicked the lights on when she walked them inside, quickly turning and forcing the smaller girl against the metal wall. She kissed and licked down her neck some more, picking up the hem of the hoodie she had on with her teeth and pulling it up slightly. Waverly snuck her hand down the back of her joggers, gripping her bare ass with her nails, getting a small moan out of the redhead. Nicole then brought her hand up to her neck, tipping her head sideways and bringing her face to her ear. “ _I’m gonna go down on you_ ,” she husked, immediately feeling the shiver travel through the younger girl’s body as she gripped her waist.

       “ _Sheriff’s Deputy Haught_ ,” Waverly breathed.

       Nicole chuckled. “Upstairs,” she mumbled against her greedy lips.

       “What’s up there?”

       “Haught’s Hangout,” she smirked, taking her hand and leading her up the steps. She pushed open a door at the top revealing a room with a couple of beanbags, a TV/gaming system set up, a pool table, and a futon. Waverly looked around, not quite sure where to go. Nicole attached her lips to her neck right below her ear. “ _We’re fuckin’ on the pool table_.” She unleashed the cockiest smirk on her face.

       A shockwave zapped Waverly right in between the thighs, almost making her knees buckle. “I have a feeling you’ve always wanted to say that to someone,” she mumbled as Nicole backed her up towards it.

       “I have,” she admitted. Waverly jumped up onto the edge. Nicole pulled her shirt and hoodie off in one go, dropping it to the floor next to her. The brunette grabbed the back of her head roughly, dipping her head down into a hungry kiss, feeling like a horny high school boy as she sloppily chased her tongue with her own. Nicole slipped her jacket off of her arms, yanking it down off her hand. She tossed it up onto the table and jumped up, sitting on her knees in front of the brunette, who pushed herself back to the middle and dropped down to her back, bunching it up into a makeshift pillow. The redhead pulled her shirt off, Waverly smirking when she remembered she hadn’t been able to wear a bra for the past two days. She slid forward, bumping her hips on the back of the smaller girl’s thighs. Hovering above her for a few seconds, teasing her finger down her lip, she dropped down to her elbows, kissing her hastily. She began to slowly bump herself against Waverly’s centre, pushing her hips up ever so slightly when they came in contact.

       “I’ll never understand how you’re so good at barely doing anything,” the brunette said as she nipped along her chin.

       “Barely anything, huh?” She drew her hips back, bucking them forward as she sucked on the point on her neck that made her shudder.

       She let out a high-pitched whimper, feeling the redhead smiling against her neck. “You’re funny,” she smirked, placing her hand on the top of her head and pushing her down.

       Nicole looked up at her smugly. “Are you losing your patience, Miss Earp?” She asked, reaching behind her and unhooking her bra, tossing it away. She kissed down the middle of her breasts.

       “Wouldn’t you rather it if I came in your mouth instead of my pants?” She questioned, feeling her sigh against her nipple.

       “ _Touche_.” She moved her line of kisses and nips slowly down her stomach, teasing her as much as humanly possible.

       “Nicole,” Waverly begged, pushing her hips up into her stomach to get some type of friction.

       “Yes, Darlin?” She asked, tracing her tongue along the hem of her sweatpants.

       “If you keep this up I will tease you so hard you’ll _cry_.” Nicole knew she was _very_ serious. She smiled innocently, licking a straight line from where she had stopped, up her stomach, up her neck, all the way to her mouth, locking their lips as she slipped her fingers under the hem and began tugging them down. She pulled them off her feet and tossed them up, covering her face. The redhead quickly propped her right arm across her hips and stuck her thumb into her.

       “Nii _iic_ ,” her squeal quickly dropped to a moan. Nicole smirked, pulling her underwear all the way off and kissing along her thighs. She fed her other arm around her leg and pressed her hand down on her left hip, moving the other to her right. She looked up at her, asking permission. “You fucking better,” Waverly grumbled. Nicole snorted, pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She locked eyes with the brunette, pressing her tongue flatly against her slit, sliding straight up. Waverly dropped down to her back with a breathy moan, one thought running through her head: _I’m in trouble_.

       “Yea?” The Officer asked. Waverly gripped the back of her head, shoving it forward. “Alright then,” she husked, casting her hot breath onto her. The brunette gripped the jacket her head was on as she traced up again, slipping through this time.

       “Holy-” Her breath was cut when she started circling her already swollen bud. She slowly picked up speed and added pressure, using her facial expressions and breathing as a guide. Within a few minutes, she was already close. Her hips were jumping every few seconds. Waverly let out a sharp moan, quickly grabbing Nicole’s head. “ _Theredon’tstop_ ,” she sputtered. Nicole grinned, gripping her hip a little harder. She rocked it out and in 10 seconds, the woman flew over the edge with a gasp. The redhead was feeling cocky, so she kept going in the same spot, bringing her hand down and shoving two fingers into her, curving them up as she pumped them in and out. Nicole was sure she had never heard the brunette cuss so many times. She was screaming her name as she had another orgasm within seconds. She slowed it down this time, pulling her fingers out and lapping up whatever had spilled out of her. Waverly’s body was still twitching as she kissed up to her face, moving and straddling her hips. The brunette stared up at her as she hovered over her, letting her catch her breath a little bit. Waverly smiled with a little laugh.

       “Did I do it right?” The redhead asked with a shit-eating grin.

       “ _Asshole_.” Waverly wrapped her arms around the back of her neck, pulling her down to meet her lips. The kisses weren’t greedy anymore. More intimate now.

       “You love me,” she smiled.

       “I do.”

       The redhead sighed happily, planting a kiss on the tip of her nose. “I believe we have a laptop to purchase.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something I am going to point out now:
> 
> Now that the events in the story are calming down a little, we're going to start getting into some time jumps. Some of you are probably super happy about that cause we have been going day by day so far, lol. But, yea, just wanted to point that out. Life for WayHaught's going to start accelerating. 
> 
> *cough**cough*Nicole's*cough**cough*hella*cough**cough*whipped*cough**cough*but we been knew*cough*
> 
> Hope you liked this one!


	34. Get to Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole goes back to work after a week off and a certain other someone does, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey yall
> 
> Another shorter chapter, sorry. Next chapter is nice and long, don't worry!
> 
> Little info for yall: I'm going out of town to see family for 9 days on the 29th so idk how much time I'll have to write and post so it might be going a little slower than usual. Then my sisters coming home with us until the 14 of July so expect a slower schedule until then...

       Nedley forced Nicole to take a week off of work. A whole 7 days. Nicole doesn’t like people telling her what to do, _especially so_ when she knew she was fine to go back to work _the day after surgery_. She had gone up to the station for the first 3 days of her week off _begging_ him to let her come back and he finally _banned_ her from coming in the station until her break was over. _So_ , she did what one does when they have nothing better to do: got all of her hair chopped off. Waverly quite literally screamed when she saw it, then going on to run her hands through it for the next hour and a half as she searched around for colleges online. Gus cried tears of joy when she found out that Waverly was planning on, in Wynonna’s words, _actually doing something with her big ass brain_. 

       On Thursday, Jessie Reyes, Nicole, and Waverly had their first meeting with their lawyer, discussing further into what would happen at the still unknown date of the trial. His name was Daniel Barnes and he was a really nice guy. He gathered the two girl’s stories and got all their evidence in check. Seeing the pictures of Waverly’s injuries printed out sent a pit of nauseousness to her stomach, but she stayed strong throughout the whole thing. He assured that he would inform them when the trial date was decided on. The redhead proceeded to make multiple side chick jokes when they went for lunch after. Jessie found them hilarious, Waverly not so much.

       The rest of Nicole’s week off consisted of her and Doc (sometimes Dolls as well) finishing up the siding on the remaining 3 sides of the house. She had even gotten around to changing the taillight on Waverly’s Jeep. The Earps were very happy with how it turned out. It looked just like the Homestead before, but . . . better. They had a Family Dinner on Saturday night after it was all finished, Nicole going on and on about how she was so excited about going back to work the next day. And it was then that Waverly dropped the _bombshell_ to the table that she would also be going to work the next day. She met with Shorty and he was thrilled to have her back on the schedule. No one was sure but when she promised them she wouldn’t do anything _stupid_ again, they were happy for her. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole’s alarm went off at 4 AM. She jumped out of bed, giddily changing into her workout clothes. She went for a run then did some more stuff upstairs in her gym. She showered and got her uniform on, heading out the door at 5:45. She pulled up at the station with a pep in her step, heading in the doors 3 minutes before 6.

       “Haught!” Nedley called from his office as she walked past.

       She backtracked and walked in. “Morning, Sir!” She smiled. 

       “I got you a Welcome Back present,” he informed, standing up and walking over to a box in the corner of the room. “Go on, open it!”

       She cocked an eyebrow, opening the box, seeing two stacks wrapped in plastic wrap. The left stack was shirts, the right stack was pants. She gasped, picking up the top pack of pants. “No more khakis!?”

       He smiled at her, clapping her shoulder. “Go get changed, Haught.” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole was on patrol at 8 that morning and she knew that was when Waverly’s shift started. She peeked her head into the bar, seeing that the brunette was facing the other way behind the bar. She quietly approached, crossing her arms at the opposite end.

       “Am I _ever_ gonna get that coffee?”

       Waverly jumped, turning around with a smile, but her mouth quickly fell open as she traced her eyes over the new uniform. She flicked her finger up and down at her as she walked towards her, trying to get words out of her mouth. “This is some April Fools prank, right?” It was, in fact, April Fools Day.

       Nicole shook her head. “No, Ma’am,” she smirked, uncrossing her arms and placing her hand on her hip when she stopped in front of her. “Hey, Baby,” she mumbled, leaning in for a kiss. 

       “Hey,” she smiled. “So, _this_ is going to be an everyday thing now?” Nicole nodded. “I don’t know if I can handle that,” she sighed, tracing her finger down the zipper on her top. 

      “You’ll be ok,” she winked.

       The brunette turned and walked back behind the bar, the redhead taking a seat on a stool. “Oh, I’ll be more than ok,” she mumbled, getting her coffee ready. The Deputy smirked at her as she pushed the cup towards her. “What’s the plan for today, Officer?” She asked, rocking back and forth on the flats of her feet. 

       “Well, I’m on patrol until 10, then I got a stack of paperwork with my name on it because _apparently_  Lonnie works slower than a Grandma with cataracts. I get off 8, though.” 

       “You’re working 14 hours today?!” She asked, furrowing her brow. 

       “I used to work 20-hour shifts like once a week.”

       Waverly groaned. “Still, that’s a lot.”

       The Officer gave her an assuring smile. “I like working,” she shrugged. 

       “You were just complaining!” 

       “I was complaining about _Lonnie_ ,” she corrected. Waverly rolled her eyes.

       Nicole’s radio fizzed over. “Haught, come in,” Nedley called over.

       She pulled her radio off her shirt. “Yea, Sheriff, go ahead.”

       “I need you back at the station.” 

       “Why? What’s going on?”

       “A lawyer is here to see you.”

       Nicole cocked an eyebrow. “Mr. Barnes?”

       She heard Nedley clear his throat. “Champ’s lawyer.” 

       Her face hardened. “10-4,” she grumbled. She looked at Waverly, who had a nervous look in her eye. “Hey.” She gently took her hand. “They just probably want to discuss his trial information and stuff, don’t stress about it, ok?” She nodded, looking down at their hands. “C’mere.” Waverly walked around the bar and Nicole pushed herself off of the stool, wrapping her arms around her waist and resting her chin on her shoulder. “I love youuuuuuu,” she cooed, rocking her back and forth.

       Waverly giggled as she tightened her grip around her neck. “I love you, too.” Nicole pulled away with a smile. Waverly cupped her cheek, standing up on her toes to give her a kiss. 

       “Ahem.” They turned to the voice, seeing Shorty walking around the bar.

       Nicole gave her a final peck. “I’ll see you later, yea?” Waverly nodded. “Bye, Shorty!” She called to the man across the room. He gave her a wave and she squeezed the younger girl's hand as she left the bar. 

       She pulled up into the station and walked into Nedley’s office, seeing a man with too much hair gel sitting in front of his desk. He stood at the sound of her entering and offered his hand out. “Patrick Owens.”

       She tried to ignore his wandering eyes and shook his hand. “Sheriff’s Deputy Haught . . . follow me.” She took him to her office and sat down at her desk. 

       “So, you were the arresting officer of Champ, yes?”

       She blinked at him, confused about why _he_ was using his nickname. “Yes.” 

       “And you are aware that means you’ll be put on the witness stand, right?” 

       “Yea. Can you move this along, please? I have work to do and I don’t need to sit here and listen to stuff I already know.”

       He clicked his tongue, looking down at the papers he brought. “The trial is set for April 10th at 11 AM-”

       “Ok, hold on. Why are _you_ the one telling me this? I was told _Mr. Barnes_ would give us that information.” 

       “Daniel Barnes,” he sighed. “He’s a real nimrod.”

       She bit the insides of her cheeks with a tut. “Cut the crap, man. What are you _actually_ here for?”

       He sat forward, resting his arms on his knees, silent for a second. “Why’re you doing this, Haught?”

       She cocked an eyebrow. “I’m sorry?” She was very confused.

       “Champ . . . He’s a good kid. And if these farfetched allegations actually convince the jury, his future career will be _ruined_.”

       She locked her jaw. “You realize what you are doing right now is _illegal_ , right?”

       He stood up, putting his hands up and the Officer circled around to the front of her desk, leaning back onto it. “Look, all I’m saying is that this kind of stuff happens all the time. Girl gets upset, the guy tries to make it up to her, she makes a big deal, and boom, now he’s a rapist. Waverly just needs to get over it, she’s not that special.” The man had just flown over her line of tolerance. No one talked about Waverly like that. She didn't care who it was.

       She grabbed his neck and shoved him against the wall, pinning him against it. “What did you just say!?” She demanded deeply. He grabbed at her tightening grip, but his _probably botox_ muscles got him absolutely nowhere. She let him go, grabbing both of his hands and holding them above his head. “Imagine being 5 feet tall with a guy twice your size towering over you while forcing himself on you. Tell me you’re gonna be able to just _get over it_.” He stared at her with a frightened look in his eyes, mouth hanging open. She dropped her hand back to his neck and slammed him against the wall again. “Say it, _Punk_!” 

       “Woah, Haughty,” Wynonna said from the doorway. “What’d he do?”

       The redhead smirked at the man. “Oh, Buddy, you’re in trouble now. Come here, _Earp_.” She felt his breath hitch in his throat, recognizing the last name as Waverly’s “Meet Chump’s lawyer. He thinks Waves needs to just _get over it_. What d’you think about that?” The brunette’s eyes grew cold and Nicole moved her hand to his shoulder.

       Wynonna shoved her knee into his stomach, clasping her hand around his chin. “You’re gonna regret even _thinking_ something like that about my baby sister,” she spat. 

       “I-I’m sorry,” he stuttered. 

       “Are you gonna tell anyone about any of this?” Nicole asked, raising her eyebrows. 

       “N-No, Ma’am.” 

       “You promise?” 

       “Y-yea, I promise, I won’t tell a soul.” 

       “Good,” they sneered at the same time, grinning at each other. Wynonna held her arm across both of his shoulders and Nicole drew her fist back. 

       “ _DON’T you even_ ,” Nedley snapped from the door. Her eyes widened at him as she lowered her arm. “Let him go.” Wynonna fussed, dropping her arm to her side. Mr. Owens quickly gathered his papers and rushed out the door, Wynonna smacking him on the back of the head as he went past her. “Both of you. My office. _Now_.” They looked at each other with a gulp and made their way in there. He was standing with his arms crossed, facing away from the door. “Shut the door.” Wynonna did so. He turned around and threw his arms out in front of him. “ _Who_ wants to give me a logical reason why _that_ was a good idea?!” Nicole crossed her arms, looking down at her feet. Wynonna bit her cheek, looking towards the wall. He huffed. “Ok. I expect this kind of behavior out of _you_ , Wynonna. But Nicole? _Seriously_?” 

       “He tried to get me to make them drop the charges,” she mumbled, still looking down at her feet.

       He widened his eyes. “He _what_?” 

       “Told me she should _get over it_.” 

       “That’s . . . illegal.”

       Wynonna looked towards him. “No shit, Sherlock,” she snarked.

       He rubbed his face with his hands. “Alright. Just . . . don’t be dumbasses in my station, please? And Nicole, none of this to your lawyer.” She nodded. He turned towards his desk. “Get to work.” She swallowed the lump in her throat and they left the room. 

       “Why do you look like a little kid that just got scolded by their dad?” Wynonna asked, elbowing her arm. 

       “Basically did,” she mumbled, walking into her office and shutting the door in her face. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole sulked into Shorty’s at around 3 o’clock, slumping down onto a stool at the bar, dropping her head into her arms. She felt a gentle hand touch her back after a minute or two. 

       “Nic?”

       She raised her head to look at her girlfriend. “Gimme a drink,” she sighed, dropping her head back down. 

       “Hey.” Waverly sat down next to her. “What’s wrong?”

       She turned her head, laying it sideways. “Nedley yelled at me,” she mumbled.

       Waverly bunched her eyebrows together. “Why?” She asked softly. 

       “Cause I disappointed him . . . again.” 

       “Nic,” she said, tilting her head with a sigh. “What’d you do?”

       She shook her head. “It’s stupid.” 

       “Baby.” She was pretty concerned at this point.

       Nicole sighed, turning her head forwards again. “His lawyer said some crap and Wynonna and I were .5 seconds from beating the shit out of him when Nedley made us let him go. He yelled at me, saying that he thinks I’m better than that.” She shrugged her shoulders, turning towards her. “Just hurts.” The brunette pushed herself off of the stool, hugging her arms around her. Nicole buried her face in her shoulder, letting out a small whimper. 

       “Nic,” she whispered, rubbing her hand up and down her back. “That’s not stupid.”

       “Yea it is,” she sniffled. “Every father figure I’ve had I’m a disappointment to.” Waverly pulled back, looking up at her face. She looked like she was horrified that those words even came out. She went to get up. “I gotta-”

       The brunette pushed her back down. “Nope.” She cupped her cheeks, wiping the couple of tears that had fallen. “Nedley does _not_ think you are a disappointment. He might have questioned your decisions, but that doesn’t mean he thinks any less of you.” She dropped her head. 

       “Hey, Waves, can you go bus table 10, I have to go put this order in,” A darker haired woman asked from across the bar. She looked over at her, then back to Nicole. 

       “Go,” she mumbled with a small smile.

       She pursed her lips but nodded. “I’ll be right back.” She kissed her cheek, walking off. Nicole watched her gather up their dishes and take them to the back, then returning with a rag to wipe the table down. Her eyes drifted across the room, landing on the darker haired woman. She cocked an eyebrow, seeing she was _very_ intently staring at something. Following her gaze, she landed back on Waverly, who was leaning across the table as she wiped it down. She narrowed her eyes at the woman, a pit of jealousy bubbling up in her stomach. Waverly walked back to the back, putting the rag away and Nicole watched the woman follow her with her eyes as she did so. She stopped chewing on her cheek when a coppery taste hit her tongue. Waverly returned, wiping her hands off on her jeans. 

       “Who is that?” Nicole asked, looking towards the woman who was now chatting with a man at the bar. 

       “Rosita. She’s new. Seems really nice, though,” she said with a smile.

       Nicole looked back to her girlfriend, pressing her tongue against the hole in her cheek. “Uh-huh.” 

       She cocked an eyebrow but decided not to question it. She walked around her, back behind the counter. “D’you still want a drink?” 

       “Yea,” she sighed, putting her elbows up on the bar.

       “Whatcha want?” 

       “I don’t care.” Waverly nodded, turning away. She pushed a cup of water in front of her a few seconds later. “Really?” 

       “Babe, you are on duty,” she complained. 

       “Wave, c’mon.”

       She sighed loudly, setting a whiskey glass in front of her. “How much?” Nicole set two fingers against the glass. Waverly pursed her lips, pushing one of her fingers back. She began to pour and went to pull away, but Nicole placed her splinted hand on top of the bottle, looking up at her with an annoyed glare as she added another finger to the glass. “You’re not getting any more,” she stated as she put the bottle away. 

       “Mk,” she mumbled into the glass as she tipped the whole thing back. She slid it back towards her. “I should probably get going.”

       Waverly walked back around to her side. “You sure? I’ll get you lunch or something?”

       Nicole shook her head, standing up. “I’m not hungry.” She placed her hand on Waverly’s cheek. “Love you.” She gave her a kiss.

       “Love you, too,” she said with a small smile. Nicole pecked her nose and walked out of the bar.

       The brunette sighed, walking back behind the bar, heading to serve the 3 men that had just strolled in. “Who’s the depressed redhead?” Rosita asked as she picked up the bucket of used glasses to take to the sink.

       She blinked at her for a second. “My girlfriend,” she informed as she walked past her. She didn’t see her face fall. 

       “Oh,” she mumbled, following her. “Is she a cop?”

       “Yep,” Waverly confirmed, pulling the glasses out.

       Rosita placed her hand on her arm, stilling it. “I’ll do it,” she offered with a smile.

       Waverly looked up at her. “You sure?”

       She nodded, taking the glasses from her hand. “Totally!”

       Waverly backed away from the bucket. “Thanks, girl!” She gave her a wave as she walked back out.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       At the end of her shift, Nicole was shoving the handful of files she hadn’t gotten to yet into her desk when she heard her door open. She looked up, seeing Wynonna closing it and walking toward her. “Yes?” She asked, sitting on the corner of her desk.

       "I think we need to have a little _chat_ ,” she said with a slight slur.        

       Nicole could smell the whiskey on her breath as she approached her. “About?”

       She stopped in front of her, crossing her arms. “It was brought to my attention not too long ago that you are _schtupping_ Babygirl.”

       Nicole sighed through her nose. “I can’t get her pregnant if that is what you are concerned about,” she commented wittily. 

       “No- gross.” She shook her head around. “Is she . . . Is she really ready for that yet? Cause . . . It hasn't been that long since . . .”

       Nicole made a face. “Yes, Wynonna. She is.”

       “Are you sure?” 

       She pushed herself off her desk, throwing her hands out. “Yes! I know you’re protecting her, but damn, Earp, you know me! I’d never do anything she wasn’t ready for!”

       Wynonna widened her eyes at her. “It’s my _job_ to protect her, Nicole.”

       She rolled her eyes. “She’s not 12 anymore- Oh wait, I forgot, _you_ _weren’t here then_.” She looked up at the now very pissed off brunette, realizing what she had just said. “Sorry, that was out of line.”

       She nodded through a clenched jaw. “Damn right it was.” She shoved both of her shoulders.

       Nicole shoved her back in the middle of the chest with her good hand. “Dude, I said I was sorry.”

       Wynonna shoved her again, harder this time. “Still said it.”

       Nicole scoffed. They began shoving back and forth, increasing in force as they got angrier and louder. “Yea, well, you should have stayed the fuck out of our business! I’m not asking you about every guy _you're_ screwing.” 

       “Waverly isn’t just _some girl_.” 

       “Really? I didn’t realize.” Wynonna’s shove sent her tumbling over the chair in front of her desk. She jumped up, knocking Wynonna over the other one. 

       “You do realize who you are fucking with, right?” The brunette asked, standing up. 

       “The one who ran when things got _too hard_ ,” Nicole nipped. 

       She shoved her back with a growl. “Don’t act like you didn’t do the same thing. I know you’re not from here, Haught.”

       Whatever was holding Nicole back snapped. She threw Wynonna against the wall, knocking the wind out of her. “ _I wouldn’t go there if I were you_.”

       The brunette slowly pushed herself up off the floor, starting up the shoving again. “What? Can Piggly Wiggly not handle talking about her family?” Nicole’s lip twitched. “ _Bingo_.”

       The Officer growled, pinning her against the wall. “I _said_ don’t go there.”

       Wynonna flipped them around, slamming her back against it. “But it's ok for you to bring up _my_ history, right?”

       Nicole scowled. “You don't know _my_ history, Earp.” She pushed her off of her. Neither one of them noticed that the door had opened 10 seconds ago, Waverly staring at them wide-eyed as she watched them push each other across the room.

       “What? Did you crash one of your $200,000 cars? My _father_ died right in front of my face, Haught!” Nicole’s face glazed over like Waverly had seen it twice before. She saw her clench her fist at her side, slowly moving towards the older Earp.

       She rushed over, pushing Wynonna back and placing her hand on either side of her face, stopping her from walking. “Nicole.” She pat her cheek, but her angry gaze was still locked on the older Earp. 

       “What the hell?” Her sister mumbled from behind her.

       Waverly rubbed her thumbs on her cheekbones. “Nicole, look at me. She didn’t know. Look at me.”

       She blinked a few times looking down at Waverly, tears filling her eyes. “She-” 

       “Shh, I know.” She turned to her sister. “Go, Wynonna. Now.” She grumbled something under her breath, leaving the room, slamming the door behind her. Nicole flinched at the sound, bottom lip popping out slightly as the tears fell down her face. Waverly sat them down, leaning her back against the wall she was near and pulled the redhead into her arms. “I’m so sorry, Baby, she should have never said anything like that. She’s never used that as an insult before.” Nicole curled her knees to her chest, pressing the side of her head against her shoulder as she choked back a sob. 

 

**___**

 

       Wynonna stomped into the Sheriff’s office, slamming the door behind her. “What the hell happened to Haught Shit’s dad!?” She demanded.

       Nedley whipped the glasses off his face, staring up at her, a bit startled by the question. He stood up. “Why?” 

       “Cause I said something about Daddy dying and she went all weird, trying to come at me!”

       Nedley huffed, walking towards the door. “Goddammit, Earp.” He walked out of the room, glaring at her as he went. He slowly poked his head into the Deputy’s office, seeing her and Waverly sitting in the left corner of the room. Waverly looked up at him, clenching her jaw as she rubbed her hand up and down Nicole’s arm. He walked over and sat down next to them. Nicole opened her eyes, looking over at him. His eyes were soft but filled with worry. She scooted out of the brunette’s arms and dropped herself onto her boss, squeezing her arms around his shoulders.

       He slowly wrapped his arms around her body, letting out a sigh. “The girl has no idea what you went through. You know if she had, she never would have brought it up to hurt you.”

       The redhead looked up at him confusedly, almost fearfully. “How do you know about it?” She sniffled.

       He was quiet for a few seconds. “Cause I’m your boss, Nicole,” he said with a small smile. She sighed, leaning her head back onto his shoulder. 

       The Officer calmed down after a couple more minutes, so Waverly took her home, deciding to stay with her for the night. She got Nicole changed into pajamas and into bed. “You want me to make you something to eat?” She asked, slipping one of her t-shirts over her head. She mumbled a negative response into her pillow. Waverly pursed her lips, crawling into bed. “C’mere, Love,” she said, touching her side. Nicole flipped over, wrapping her arms around the brunette, hitching her leg between hers. Waverly pressed a kiss into the top of her head as she wiggled impossibly closer to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drunk Wynonna fucked up...
> 
> Nicole had a shit day, damn.  
> I'm just really mean to all of them and make them all have shit days all the time...
> 
> Next one should be up soon!


	35. Orange is Not His Color

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Earp and Reyes vs Hardy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Ya'll
> 
> Sorry, it's been a while, Mr. Writer's Block decided to stop by again.
> 
> Both girls' stories get retold in this one so if you are sensitive to that kind of stuff, I'd just skip over it.
> 
> Most likey mistakes, I'm editing in the car.
> 
> Enjoy!! :D

       Wynonna’s apology to Nicole the next day had been a whole box of donuts- scratch that, 9 donuts. She got hungry on the ride back from the bakery. She hadn’t dared to ask her what had happened, and when she had asked Waverly, she got an earful about minding her own business. By the end of the day, they were at Shorty’s, drunk and bothering the younger Earp. She was done with both of their dumbasses by the time her shift ended, so she let them sleep it off on the floor in the living room of the Homestead. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       On the day of the trial, Waverly woke up in Nicole’s arms. She could tell she was awake already by the way she was breathing against her front. And maybe because she could hear the faint sound of Angry Birds coming from behind her head. She let out a small noise, hugging herself closer to her chest. “You could’ve gotten up, ya know,” she mumbled into her shirt. 

       “You looked too comfortable,” Nicole shrugged, clicking her phone off and dropping her hand to her hip, sticking it up the back of her shirt and slowly running her fingers up and down her back.

       Waverly looked up at her with a sleepy smile. “You’re warm.” 

       “Probably because you make us sleep with a _minimum_  of 3 blankets,” she chuckled, resting her chin on the top of her head. 

       “Shhhh.” They laid in silence for the next 10 minutes, the redhead still rubbing her back. 

       “What time is it?” Waverly asked, removing her head from its home against Nicole’s neck.

       “7:12,” she answered with a yawn.

       Waverly rolled to her back, popping all of her bones out. “I guess we gotta get moving then . . .” They were meeting with Mr. Barnes and the attorney at 9.

       Nicole rolled to face her, cupping her cheek. “I’m not gonna lie to you. Today’s gonna be hard. Probably one of the scariest, nerve-wracking things you will ever go through. And that’s not just because he’s gonna be there. The questions his people are going to ask you are going to try and belittle you. But _you_ , Waverly Earp, are the strongest woman I’ve ever met. And I  _know_ you’re gonna handle this like the Superwoman you are. So when you are getting nervous or scared, just look at me. Take a second and look at me. Can you do that, Baby?” She nodded. Nicole brushed some hair out of her face, leaning forward and giving her a kiss. 

       “How do you always know what to say to make me feel better?” She asked with a smile, flashing heart eyes at the redhead. 

       “ _I can read your mind!!_ ” She danced her fingers up her stomach, getting a giggle out of the smaller girl. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole pulled up to the courthouse and parked the Jeep. She got out, dressed in a blue dress shirt with a navy tie, shirt tucked into black slacks. She opened Waverly’s door for her. She was in a simple black skirt and white blouse with a black blazer over the top. They walked into the building and got directed to the room their lawyer was waiting in.

       Jessie was already there when they walked in. She stood, walking over to them. “Hey,” she said quietly, giving the brunette a hug. 

       “How are you doing?” Waverly asked. 

       “Well . . . I’m here, so I guess that’s a good sign.” Waverly gave her a smile, squeezing her arm. The trio walked over to the table, the lawyer and attorney sitting on the other side. They sat down and they began going over a couple of key details about what was going to happen. They told them the order that they would be going on the stand, Jessie first, then Waverly, then Nicole. After them, Champ would be put up there, if he chose to testify. They also informed them that there was a strict no-contact rule between the girls and Champ. He’d be handcuffed the whole time and at no point was he allowed to talk to them without their consent. After an hour, they had everything worked out, everyone was on board with everything. Now, they just had to wait until they were called into the trial. Nicole had her arm wrapped around Waverly’s waist and Waverly had her hand on Jessie’s leg. The two brunettes had done a lot of catching up over the past couple of weeks. She learned she and her boyfriend had recently gotten engaged. Waverly told her how she had finally applied to a college a few days ago and she would find out if she got accepted in a week or so. Jessie and Nicole were both _very_ certain that they would accept her because, as they both said, who wouldn’t? 

       As time ticked closer to 11, nerves were flowing at top speed. “Are we allowed to go get some air?” Jessie asked, looking towards the two girls next to her. Her foot had been tapping for the past 10 minutes.  

       “I dunno, let me ask.” Nicole stood up and walked out of the room. She returned a few seconds later, waving her hand for them. They followed her out and a security guard walked them towards the front entrance of the building. When they turned a corner, Nicole caught the sight of Champ being hauled in their direction towards the courtroom. Nicole wrapped her arm tighter around her girlfriend. “Just keep walking,” she said, just loud enough for the girls on either side of her to hear. 

       “Orange is _not_ his color,” Waverly mumbled. He was dressed in an orange jumpsuit. 

       “Holy shit, he got big,” Jessie gawked. 

       “His arms are almost as big as his ego,” the other brunette joked, getting a snort out of both women. Champ looked up at them as they walked past him with his sad puppy face. Nicole shot him a menacing glare and he quickly looked straight ahead.

       “Aw, he wants us to think he is  _sorry_ ,” Jessie grumbled, rolling her eyes. They walked out of the front doors of the building and leaned against the rail against the steps.

       The Officer spied the familiar hairline of Mr. Patrick Owens climbing the stairs. She let out a small laugh. “Watch this,” she whispered. He eyed her timidly the whole way up and when he passed them, she stomped her foot, causing him to fumble the papers he was holding, almost dropping them everywhere. He quickly rushed to the door, looking back at her as he went inside. All three of them laughed. 

       “Jeez, Nic, what’d you do to him?” Waverly asked, bumping her with her hip.

       “Enough to make him scared shitless of me,” she sighed.

       They all shook their nervousness to the best of their abilities and headed back inside. Not even 5 minutes later, they were called into the courtroom. Their prosecuting attorney, Mr. Clay, sat on the far right, then Mr. Barnes, Nicole, Waverly, and Jessie. Once everyone was situated, the jurors were selected and all sworn in. After so, the two attorneys gathered at the front with the Judge, confirming that both parties were ready to start.

       Mr. Clay approached the jury.  “Today, we are here to hear the case of Ms. Waverly Earp and Jessie Reyes versus Mr. James “Champ” Hardy. For Ms. Reyes, it was almost 5 years ago, and for Ms. Earp, it was just last month. What did he do, you ask?” He turned, walking halfway to where Champ was seated, quickly pivoting back towards the jury. 

       “ _This man_  attempted to sexually assault these two women. In both cases, it was generally the same chain of events. They had been in a relationship with Mr. Hardy, and when they ended it, he got angry. Delusionally so, you might even say. He was convinced that both women were still in love with him, that they were just confused. And he was going to try and show them that.” Nicole was slowly running her thumb in patterns on Waverly’s thigh, chewing open the hole in her cheek again. “Let’s start with Ms. Reyes’ story.” He walked back towards the jury. 

       “In September of 2011, Jessie ended her relationship with Mr. Hardy because he had been fooling around with other girls. A couple of days later, she was at a small gathering at the park in town. She confirms that everyone there had been drinking wine coolers throughout the night. As she walked away from the pavilion to take a phone call, Mr. Hardy approached her, clearly intoxicated, begging for her forgiveness. She continued to brush him off, telling him to leave her alone. She walked away from him, heading back to her friends, but he grabbed her by the wrist and held her there as he tried to convince her to come back to him. She refused  _once again_ , struggling to get away from him. He finally blew his top, proceeding to push her up against the telephone pole nearby. He forced himself on her in a completely non-consensual manner, kissing her, pleasuring himself against her, touching her in inappropriate places. He had her pants pulled down and as he was working on his own when one of the male friends at the party happened to see what was happening, so he rushed over, pulling Mr. Hardy off of her. There was a verbal and physical altercation between the two, alerting everyone else of the situation. The police were called and Mr. Hardy was arrested soon after. Ms. Reyes dropped the charges against him before any further investigation could be held.” Jessie had her head leaned on Waverly’s shoulder and she was comforting her throughout the retelling of her experience. 

       “Now. Let’s flash forward to March 13th of this year.” Waverly let out a breath, grabbing Nicole’s hand that was still on her leg. “Earlier in the day, Waverly Earp confronted James Hardy when he visited her at work. She pulled him to the side and broke up with him. He had been cheating on her and getting in repeated trouble with the law for minor offenses. He left the bar and she continued on with her shift into the early evening. She took a trip to the bathroom when she went on break. Hardy followed her in there, grabbing her hips from behind, surprising her. He was again intoxicated and told her the same sorry story he had told Ms. Reyes years prior. When she began to fight back, he pushed her into the stall and immediately began the attack. Kissing, grinding, touching, same as Ms. Reyes. He didn’t get quite as far with Ms. Earp, though. Outside the bathroom door, Purgatory’s Sheriff’s Deputy Nicole Haught heard the commotion, so she rushed in and hit him with a beer bottle, knocking him unconscious. He had only managed to unbutton her pants. He was soon after arrested and Ms. Earp went through with the charges against him.” He turned, walking and standing in front of Champ. 

       “Over the course of this trial, you will decide whether or not, the defendant, James “Champ” Hardy will be convicted for these offenses. He has pled nonguilty to the two charges of attempted sexual assault. Ms. Reyes will be questioned about that night by both I and Mr. Reinhardt, the defense attorney. After her, Ms. Earp will also be questioned and we will show you the physical evidence from her assault and Sheriff’s Deputy Haught will take the stand to recall what she witnessed. It will be then that Mr. Hardy will decide if he wants to testify.” Mr. Clay turned to Mr. Reinhardt. “Do you have anything you’d like to add?” 

       “No, Sir. We can carry on to the first witness.”

       He nodded. “The court calls Ms. Jessie Reyes to the stand,” the Court Clerk announced as he moved to a small table next to the judge. She got sworn in and took a seat.

       Mr. Reinhardt approached her first. “Ms. Reyes, I am going to ask you probably the number one question the jury has at the moment.” He leaned up against the Judge’s stand. “Why is it that you dropped the charges against my client after the alleged crime was committed?” 

       “I had just turned 16, so when my friends told me that I’d be treated differently by guys in the future if I went through with it, I was too young to realize that wasn’t true.”

       He widened his eyes with a nod. “Just turned 16, you said?” 

       “Yes.” 

       “And in your statement, you said you were drinking alcohol?”

       She pursed her lips. “Yes,” she confirmed, a touch of annoyance in her voice. 

       “Do you recall how much you had drunk, Ms. Reyes?” 

       “It’s been a while, so I’m not for sure. Probably 2 wine coolers if I had to give you a guess.” 

       “So, you are saying that it could have been more?” 

       “I suppose so,” she mumbled. 

       “Ok. Let’s get back to this gathering that you were attending. How many people were there?”

       She thought about it for a second, looked to be counting in her head. “9, including me.” 

       “And my client was not one of those people, correct?” 

       “Right.” 

       “And you were pulled away from this group by a phone call?” 

       “Yes.” 

       “What was so important about this phone call that it called for you to leave the group?”

       “It was my sister. She was calling to ask when I would be home that night.” 

       “So, _theoretically_ , there was no reason why you couldn’t have taken someone with you instead of venturing out into the dark by yourself?”

       She bit her cheek, looking down. “I guess not,” she mumbled.

       He nodded, turning towards the jury, pacing back and forth for a few seconds. “I’m going to suggest that this encounter was completely _consensual_.” There were a few murmurs around the room. Jessie’s eyes widened at the man. He turned back to her. “I don’t think that call was from your sister, as you say. I think it was from Mr. Hardy.” 

       “Objection!” Mr. Clay called, eyes burning into the back of Mr. Reinhardt’s head. “Speculation.” 

       “Your Honor, so far, all her story _is_  is a speculation. We have no physical evidence to prove otherwise.” 

       “That’s the point of a trial, Dominick,” Mr. Clay reminded. 

       “I’ll allow it. For now,” the Judge said, shooting a warning glare to the man.

       Mr. Reinhardt nodded, turning back to the brunette. “I think Mr. Hardy contacted you and you walked in that direction alone to meet him, do you agree or disagree?” 

       “Disagree,” she said firmly. 

       “I’m going to suggest that you both met up to perform sexual acts with one another. And when you heard the boy approaching it, you made it seem otherwise because you were embarrassed or maybe even feeling some regret towards it. And that is _also_  why you immediately dropped the charges. You didn’t want him to go away for something he didn’t do. Am I correct, Ms. Reyes?”

       She blinked at him. “No, you’re really not,” she scoffed. 

       “Well, with no physical evidence, I’m afraid this allegation is just a game of he said, she said. That’s all the questions I have.” He turned away and took a seat.

       Mr. Clay stepped forward, clearing his throat. “Ms. Reyes, when I told your story to the court, did you agree with everything I said? Can you confirm that the story I told was what actually took place?”

       “Yes. That’s  _actually_  what happened.” She sent a glare to the defense attorney. 

       “Right. And not only were you not consenting to the sexual acts, but you were also slightly inebriated as well?”

       “Correct.” 

       “Mr. Hardy,” he tutted, turning towards him. “Taking advantage of a scared, intoxicated young girl? What a shame.” He turned back to Jessie. “How long had you been in a relationship with James?”

       “Almost 9 months.”w

       “And had he ever let his anger take control of him? Was he ever verbally or physically violent towards you?” 

       “We got in occasional fights that included yelling and him saying mean things, but it wasn’t to the point where I felt I was unsafe in the situation.”

       “But, when he approached you that night, when was it that you did feel unsafe?”

       “When he grabbed me and held on. He’d never done something like that before.”

       He walked towards the jury, turning back around to face her. “Why is it that you decided to bring back the charges?”

       “Well. When I heard about what happened to Waverly, it made me feel . . . guilty? Cause I know she would have never dated him if he would have been prosecuted. I guess I just wanted to make sure that he doesn’t do something stupid to anyone else. Because we both got lucky. Someone stopped it before it got bad. And I know not everyone gets lucky like that.”

       He nodded with a smile before looking towards the Judge. “Thank you, Your Honor.” He took a seat. 

       “Ms. Reyes, you may return to your seat,” the Court Clerk informed. She nodded, standing and walking back over to the table. Waverly stood and gave her a hug before she sat down. “The court calls Ms. Waverly Earp to the stand.” She swallowed the lump in her throat, looking nervously to Nicole.

       She gave her a hug, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “You’re gonna be ok,” she assured. Waverly nodded, walking up to the table and got sworn in. She took a seat and Dominick Reinhardt approached her. 

       “Ms. Earp. What is your relationship with Sheriff’s Deputy Haught?” He asked, raising his eyebrows, a small smirk on his lips. Her mouth fell open slightly, definitely not expecting _that_ to be a question. 

       “ _Objection_!” Mr. Clay declared. “Relevance?!” 

       “I’m going somewhere with it, Seamus, don’t get your panties in a twist.” 

       “Go ahead, Mr. Reinhardt,” the Judge sighed. It was clear he was _not_ his favorite attorney, to say the least. 

       “Ms. Earp?” The attorney asked, turning back to her. 

       “She’s my girlfriend,” Waverly informed with a glare. 

       “Wow. You moved on quite fast, don’t you say?” 

       “Objection!” Mr. Clay called again. 

       “Sustained,” the Judge agreed. “C’mon, Reinhardt. Get to the point.” 

       “So. Were you two seeing each other _before_  you broke things off with my client.” 

       “No,” she answered flatly. “I had talked to her _twice_  before what happened.” 

       “I see . . . Moving on. So, now I ask, what is your relationship with _Jessie_ like?” 

       “We were in the same grade growing up, so I’d say we’ve always been pretty good friends. We hung out with the same people so that usually meant with each other, too.” 

       “Pretty good friends, aye? How long after her incident was it until you and Champ got together?”

       She pursed her lips. “A little less than a year.”

       He nodded, turning the jury. “I’d say it's a little _abnormal_ to go out with a guy that  _allegedly_  tried to sexually assault your friend. Did you know what had happened?” 

       “I had heard rumors, but when I asked her, she told me the charges were dropped, nothing more.” 

       “So, you  _did k_ now, Ms. Earp?” He asked, raising his eyebrows. 

       “Yes.” 

       He came forward and leaned on the table. “Yet, you continued to date him anyway? Why?”

       She sighed, blinking annoyedly. “I didn’t  _actually_  think he had done it, for one,” she informed. “I didn’t think he was capable of something like that. And I was head cheerleader, he was the quarterback, that’s just kinda how it goes.” 

       “Right. But, you stayed together throughout high school all the way until now?” 

       “Yes.”

       “Did you see a future with him?” 

       “Maybe? He cared about me, told me he loved me. Yea, he was a jerk sometimes, but he was one of the only people that actually cared about me at the time, so I stayed with him.”

       “What changed?”

       “It sounds bad, but I kind of  _outgrew_  him. Him and his stupidness. He had continuously slept with other girls throughout our whole relationship. And, as I was becoming an adult with plans for the future, he was still that high school jock that just messed around all the time. I wanted to actually be able to talk to someone that wasn’t just  _staring at my boobs_  the whole time.”

       “So . . . It had nothing to do with meeting Officer Haught?”

       She clicked her tongue, casting her glance to the redhead. “A small portion had to do with her, _yes_ ,” she admitted. “But, he had gotten in a fight for screwing around with girls at Shorty’s the night before I broke up with him and that’s why I decided to in the first place. It was kind of a wake-up call.”

       He nodded, pushing himself off the table and walking towards the jury. “Did it ever cross your mind after you broke up with him? The _rumor_ of what he had done?” 

       “No, I don’t think it did.” 

       “And did it when he started assaulting you?”

       She clenched her jaw. “I was more focused on protecting myself,  _Mr. Reinhardt_.” 

       “I have no further questions.” He sat down and Mr. Clay stood up, walking over to the TV on the other side of the Judge’s stand.

       He picked up a remote and turned it on. “As I said earlier, we have physical evidence of Ms. Earp’s assault. These pictures were taken by Sheriff’s Deputy Haught after Waverly gave her initial statement.” He clicked to the first one. Waverly looked away, seeing Nicole was also looking away. The redhead locked eyes with her, nodding her head, signaling that she was doing good. “These scratches were on her hip from Mr. Hardy clawing at her to pull her shorts down.” He left it on the screen to make sure the jurors got a good look. “And these bruises were left on her wrists from the force he used to hold her hands above her head.” He waited a few seconds again, Waverly keeping her eyes locked on Nicole’s. He turned the TV off and walked over to her. “Did you have any other injuries, Ms. Earp?”

       She looked toward him, swallowing the lump in her throat. “No physical ones,” she stated. A hushed murmur crossed the room again with that.

       He nodded. “You said earlier that he would tell you he loved you. Do you think that was true?” 

       “I don’t know, to be honest. In his world, he might of.” 

       “Did you love him?”

       She was quiet for a few seconds. “At the time, I thought I did. But, sitting here now. I know that was _not_ love.” She looked towards Nicole, who had a small smile on her lips. 

       “Aw, she loves the dyke, how cute,” she heard Champ grumble from across the room.

       Her head snapped in his direction. “Sorry, what was that, Champ?” She asked, tilting her head at him. The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

       He looked towards her wide-eyed at the sound of his name. “What . . .?” He looked just as shocked as everyone else in the room. 

       “I asked you to _repeat_  what you just said. I don’t think the jury caught that.” He looked around the room, almost like he was searching for help. 

       “You heard her, James. Repeat it,” the Judge huffed. 

       “ _Aw, she loves the dyke, how cute_ ,” he mumbled, just loud enough so they could hear. Waverly could see that Jessie was gripping Nicole’s arm in the corner of her eye, keeping her calm. 

       “If Nicole is who you are referring to, then yes, I do love her, and she doesn’t need to try and  _rape_   _me_  for me to know that.” There were a few oo’s and damn’s heard.

       Champ clanked his hand up on the table, handcuffs restricting him from throwing his hands out like he wanted to. “Waves, I was _drunk_!” Everyone’s eyes were wide. He had just  _technically_  admitted to doing what he was accused of to  _the jury_. Mr. Owens quickly turned to him, advising him not to speak anymore.

       Mr. Clay cleared his throat after a few seconds. “I have no further questions, Your Honor.” He took his seat. 

       “Ms. Earp, you may go back to your seat,” the Court Clerk informed.

       She walked back over, Nicole standing up and placing her hand on her arm, other holding a piece of paper that was covering her mouth as she leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Was that on purpose?”

       Waverly turned her head, covering her mouth with her hand. “Of course it was. I wanted to egg him on.” 

       “Did you know he was going to say something like that?” 

       “I hoped he would,” she smirked. 

       “And it worked.”

       “Like a charm.” She pulled her head away, giving her a sly smile. 

       “The Court calls Sheriff’s Deputy Nicole Haught to the stand.”

       Waverly squeezed her hand. “Don’t be stupid,” she warned. Nicole threw her a look, walking up to get sworn in. She took a seat and Mr. Clay approached her first. 

       “So. Sheriff Deputy Haught-”

       “Uh, Nicole’s fine, Sir,” she corrected with a smile.

       He nodded. “ _Nicole_. What do you remember about that night?”

       She pushed a hand through her hair. “Uhm . . . When I got to Shorty’s, I ordered a beer and asked the barmaid where Waverly was because she wasn’t behind the bar. She had told me previously that morning that she was breaking up with Champ and breaking up with someone after 4 years is  _usually_   _not_  the easiest thing to do so I wanted to check up on her. She told me she had headed off to the restroom on her break so that’s where I headed. I had planned on just waiting outside the door, but as I got closer to it, I heard muffled screaming and crying coming from inside, so obviously I went in. The first thing I saw was Champ’s back. I moved over to the open stall door and saw Waverly in front of him and, at this point, he was trying to undo her pants, so my first instinct was to bash him with my beer bottle. It knocked him out and I immediately cuffed him and made sure she was ok.”

       Mr. Clay walked forward, leaning up against the table. “Right. So, I am going to assume you were off duty at this point, correct?” 

       “Yes.”

       “You said you recognized it as Champ right away. So you had met, or at least seen, Mr. Hardy before?”

       “Yea. I helped break up him and his buddies fight up the night before at Shorty’s. I hadn’t known he was one of them at that point, but about 2 hours before the attack happened, I saw him wandering down the middle of the road with a bottle of tequila. I stopped him and found out he was Champ and pretty tipsy. I told him to go home and gave him a warning that I would take him up to the station if I saw him walking around again that night, which I did not.” 

       “And had you known about his previous assault on Ms. Reyes?” 

       “No.” 

       “When did you learn about that?” 

       “Later that night.” She could see the slightly shocked look on Waverly’s face from the corner of her eye. 

       “And do you recall him ever bringing it up while he was at the Sheriff’s Department?” 

 _Technically_ he hadn’t talked about it there. Only at the barn. “No, I don’t remember him ever saying anything.”

       He nodded, moving towards the judge. “I rest my case,” he announced, walking back to his seat.

       Mr. Reinhardt approached her, still with a grumpy look on his face. “I do have to ask, for the sake of my own curiosity, isn’t against protocol to drink at a bar in uniform?”

       She let out a small laugh. “Sir, have you _been_ to Purgatory?” She asked with a cocked eyebrow that got a few laughs from the small number of people in the visitor's area, along with Waverly and Jessie. Even Champ nodded his head. The attorney pursed his lips. “No such protocol there.”

       “How long have you been working there?” 

       “About 2 months now,” she nodded.

       He widened his eyes. “So you are still a rookie, aye?” 

       “At Purgatory, yea. An officer, no,” she said, a bit confused why he was questioning her personal life. 

       “And where were you before?” 

       “Calgary.”

       He nodded, seeming to be a bit surprised. He turned to the jury. “So. A former Big-City cop takes an offender out with a _beer bottle_?” She ran her tongue along the inside of her bottom lip at the smug smirk he threw her way. “How much of that beer had you had, Officer Haught?” 

       “ _Sheriff’s Deputy_ Haught, thank you. And for your question, I had maybe taken 2 sips? Like I said, right after I got it, I walked straight to the bathroom.” 

       “Smacking him with a beer bottle was your _sober_  judgment call?” 

       “It was, yea.” She could feel the anger bubbling up inside her. “All my weapons, besides the switchblade I carry most of the time _everywhere_ , were in my car because I  _knew_ I was going to be drinking. And stunning him was the  _best_ judgment call in my opinion. It was the safest option. If I were to have confronted him verbally, he would have had the chance to pull any weapon he had on her, potentially acting with it. If I would have pulled him off of her, he could have pulled said weapon on me before I would have had a chance to react. I wasn’t going to stab him for  _obvious_ reasons. Therefore, by stunning him, I would have had the time to prepare myself for whatever his next move was  _and_ it would have given Waverly enough time to clear the area if he  _did_  plan on doing something stupid. Him passing out was  _not_ my intention, but either way, my  _judgment call_ kept Waverly safe, kept me safe, diffused the situation,  _and_ left me able to arrest the offender.  _Oh_ , and we know he didn’t die or anything from it, so yea.” She gave a little shrug at the end. Mr. Reinhardt’s jaw was  _literally_ dropped. His ego was so hurt from the way she had just deflected his insult.

       The Judge spoke up. “And you thought through all of that in about 15 seconds?” 

       “I . . . suppose I did, yea. That just comes with the job, I guess. Having to make difficult decisions in difficult situations with limited time to think about it.” 

       “Very true,” he admitted. “Alright, Mr. Reinhardt, you may continue. Or do you still need a second to take all of that in?”

       He caught himself last-second from throwing the Judge a glare. “I rest my case.” The Judge nodded as he returned to his seat next to Champ. 

       “Sheriff’s Deputy Haught, you may exit the stand,” the County Clerk said. She did so.

       Waverly yanked her tie when she sat down. “You carry a switchblade everywhere?!” She questioned through her teeth.

       Nicole cocked an eyebrow. “Yes?”

       She yanked on it again. “Why don’t I know this?!”

       Nicole smiled nervously at her. “Because I thought you _did_? It’s sitting in the cupholder of your Jeep  _right now_ , Wave.” She pursed her lips, letting her go and turning forward in the chair.

       The Judge was privately speaking to the Deputies in the room. They all turned away, heading back to their positions after a few more seconds. “I’d like to call a recess of the court while the jurors make their decisions. This could take an hour, a day, a week, who knows. The Deputy with your group will give you more information.” He hit his gavel. 

       “All rise,” the Deputy with the jurors called. Everyone in the room stood and the jurors left out a door to the right of them.

       Their Deputy led them out a different door on the right, taking them to the main hall. “You can stay in the room you were in before you were called to the trial, or you may leave, go get lunch, go home, whatever. If you choose to leave, you will be called to be alerted when your attorneys go in to hear the predetermined sentence. They get to discuss their reasoning with the Judge and he will make the final decision. You are not allowed in the room at this point. When he had made his decision, both you and Mr. Hardy will be called back in and his conviction will be read.”

       They nodded.“Ya’ll wanna go get lunch, chill out for a while?” Nicole asked the two.

       They looked between each other, shrugging. “I guess, yea,” Jessie replied. 

       “I’ll escort you out,” the Deputy said with a smile. They followed him as he led them out the front doors.

       They walked to their cars and stood at the back of Waverly’s. “Where do we wanna go?” She asked. 

       “I’m not really that hungry, I just wanna clear my head a little,” the other brunette admitted. 

       “Me neither.”

       They looked at Nicole. “So, we’re all not hungry. Great start.”

       They both laughed, Waverly bumping her with her hip. “You just want to go find a little cafe or something?” She suggested.

       “Fine with me,” Nicole agreed.

       “Yea, sounds good,” Jessie said. They looked it up and found one not too far away, so Jessie headed off to her car and the couple climbed in the Jeep.

       Nicole picked up the switchblade, flicking it out and twirling it around her fingers. “Seeee?” She said with a goofy smile. 

       “Oooh, I think I’ve seen this before,” she said, taking it from her and looking it over. It had a dark wood handle with Haught engraved on one side and had a skinny black blade. “You seriously always have this on you?”

       She handed it back and the redhead closed it, shoving it in her pocket. “Yep,” she confirmed, popping the p. “I got it when I started college, carried it all the time since.”

       Waverly gasped. “Have you ever stabbed anyone?!” 

       “ _No_ , but I’ve been stabbed with it.”        

       She widened her eyes. Nicole held out her left hand, showing her a scar in between her first and second knuckle that was almost identical on the opposite side. “In college, I was at this bar and someone bet me $300 bucks that I wouldn’t hold my hand up against the dartboard and let them throw it at it. Let’s just say I soon after upgraded my twin sized bed in my apartment to a full size.”

       Waverly shook her at her. “You’re a dumbass,” she laughed. 

       “So I’ve been told,” she smirked, pulling out of the parking lot behind the other brunette. Waverly hooked her arm around her elbow, wrapping it around it and laying her head against her shoulder. The 5-minute drive was relatively silent. They parked next to Jessie when they got there and climbed out. Jessie was on the phone with someone so she stayed in her car. Nicole leaned up against the Jeep and Waverly fit herself right next to her. She furrowed her brow, looking at her and feeding her arm behind her back, giving her hip a squeeze. “You ok?” 

       “Yea, why?”

       “You’re all spacey and touchy, which I’m not complaining about, I’m just wondering.”        

       She groaned, pulling her into a hug. “Sometimes I hate dating a cop,” she grumbled, resting her chin against her front, looking up at her.

       Nicole smiled. “Sorry.”

       Waverly rested her head against her chest. “What if he doesn’t even get put in prison? Like he just gets parole or something? Cause I don’t know if I can handle that.”

       The redhead hugged her tighter. “If something like that _does_  happen, which I’m sure it won’t, that Judge will get an earful, maybe even a threat or two, who knows. Depending on how ballsy I’m feeling at the moment.”

       The brunette sighed a small laugh against her chest. “Please don’t do that. I don’t need you in jail.” 

       “I personally think I would look good, _per usual_ , in an orange jumpsuit,” she smirked.

       Waverly raised her head, rolling her eyes. “I’m sure you would,” she sighed, cupping her jaw, pulling her head down into a kiss. The redhead smiled, sliding her hands around to her hips. 

       “Can you two wait to be nasty until Topher gets here because he kinda just invited himself,” Jessie grumbled with a smile as she got out of the car.

       Waverly pulled away with a blush. “I thought he had to work all day today?” Nicole asked as they walked inside.

       “His boss let him take off after he begged him about 1000 times,” she sighed.

       They sat down at a table. “Aww, future hubby’s so sweet,” Waverly cooed, pressing her hands to her chest. 

       “Mhm,” she mocked with the same expression. She stood. “I need coffee.” 

       “Coffeeee,” both girls echoed at the same time, standing up and walking up to the counter. 

       “How often do you two do that? It honestly scares me at this point. It’s like you’re connected up there or something.”

       Waverly laughed, reaching up and tickling her fingers around on the sides of her head. “She can  _read minds_!” Nicole giggled, wiggling her hands off of her. They got their coffees and headed back to the table. 

       “So . . . Are we _not_  going to talk about how much of an  _asshole_  Mr. Reinhardt is?” Jessie asked, propping her arms up on the table. 

       “ _Seriously_!” Waverly agreed. “But are we surprised that Champ hired the douchiest lawyer and attorney on the whole entire  _Earth_?” 

       “I couldn’t believe that story he came up with for you, Jessie. That was . . . just horrible,” Nicole sighed. “I get that’s his job, but god damn.”

       She nodded, pushing her hand through her hair. “I just _never_  want to go to court again. This was exhausting,” she sighed. 

       “And we’re going to have to probably testify at Tucker’s,” Waverly groaned. Nicole rolled her eyes, taking a long drag of her coffee. She saw Jessie’s face lighten up, looking past her. A tall man with silver-dyed hair and tattoos sat down next to her, giving her a kiss. Waverly gasped. “Can we be gross now?!” She asked, clapping her hands together. 

       “Be my guest,” the other brunette laughed. “Gays, Topher. Topher, Gays.” Nicole shook his hand, introducing herself. 

       “Sorry I couldn’t be there, my boss is _really_ an ass,” he said, taking a drink of his fiancee’s coffee, getting a smack. 

       “It’s fine. You didn’t miss anything too exciting, just Champ basically admitting to the whole courtroom that he did it,” Waverly smirked.

       His eyes widened. “Wow. She said he was stupid, but . . . wow.” 

       “I think  _stupid_  is an understatement,” the redhead mumbled. Jessie nodded in agreement, clinking their cups. 

       They continued on with friendly conversation for an hour or so more, still no calls from anyone from the courthouse. The Officer could tell her girlfriend was getting antsy by the way her fingers were tapping on her thigh. She leaned in, whispering in her ear. “You ready to go, Baby?” She asked, placing her hand on top of hers. The brunette nodded. She looked back to the couple across from them. “I think we’re gonna go, guys. The courthouse closes at 4 and it’s already 3:30, so they’re not going to hold the hearing tonight.”

       Jessie nodded. “Yea, I was thinking the same thing,” she admitted. Topher stood up, offering his hand to her. They all walked out of the cafe. They all handed out hugs, Nicole shaking Topher’s hand, thanking him for coming. They were about to part ways when Waverly’s phone rang. It was Daniel Barnes.

       She answered it, putting it on speaker. “Hey, Mr. Barnes. Jessie’s right next to me.”

       “Hello. About 10 minutes ago, Mr. Clay and Mr. Hardy’s attorney went into the courtroom to begin the sentencing debate. I was just informed that, as of now, the hearing is set for 9 AM tomorrow morning.”

       She nodded, looking up at the other woman, who also nodded. “Ok, that sounds good. Anything else we need to know?” 

       “No, I don’t think so. I guess I’ll see you two tomorrow.” 

       “Yep! See you then!” She hung up. The two couples finally parted ways, heading to their cars. Waverly sighed, pulling her legs up onto the seat when she sat down. 

       The redhead started the car. “My house or yours?” She asked, pulling away from the cafe. 

       “Mine,” Waverly decided. “But . . . Can you stay with me tonight?”

       Nicole smiled sweetly at her. “Of course I will,” she assured, placing her splinted hand on her thigh. 

       Waverly shifted her body, leaning sideways and laying her head on her arm, wrapping both arms around it. “Thank you,” she said quietly, running her finger over the ends of the pins that were sticking out of her hand. 

       After running to Nicole’s to feed her cat and grab her some clothes for the night and the next day, they got to the Homestead. “I’m gonna shower, ok?” The Officer said, hanging her outfit for court up on her closet. 

       “Mk,” she mumbled, changing into some comfier clothes. Nicole gave her a small smile as she walked out of the room. Waverly checked her email, still nothing from the college. She threw her head back, groaning loudly, and shut the lid of her laptop. She wandered out of her room and was about to go lay on the couch, but a hint of blue on the counter caught her eye. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole slowly walked down the stairs, hearing a familiar voice screaming along to the Sesame Street theme song. “Wave?” She asked, walking over to the back of the couch. She saw her sitting on the floor, leaning up against it.

       She tipped her head back at the sound of her name. “Hey, Baby!” She slurred, pointing at the TV. “M’watchin Sesame Street!”

       Nicole blinked at her, walking around to her side. Her eyes widened downward. “How much did you drink?” She asked, picking up the over-half empty bottle of blue raspberry vodka. 

       “It tastes like Jolly Ranchers!” She exclaimed, going to stand up. She immediately fell backward, giggling at herself. “That light’s spinnin.”

       Nicole sat down on the couch and grabbed her wrist, sitting her back up. “Baby, was this full?” She asked with concern, holding it up. 

       “Yap,” she mumbled, tracing her finger along the hem of her shorts.

       Nicole put the cap on it, setting it on the table. “Waverly, it is _6 PM_.”

       She pulled herself up onto the couch. “It looked _pretty_ , though,” she slurred. 

       “You’re going to feel so sick tomorrow, Love,” she groaned, grabbing her hand as she slid it up her thigh. 

       “Thassa tomorrow problem,” the brunette smirked, straddling her lap. 

       “Waves-” She cut her off with a sloppy kiss. The redhead pushed her back. “No. You are going to bed.”

       Waverly pouted her lip. “Whyyyy?” 

       “Because you are drunk. I don’t think you can even walk right now, Babe.” 

       “Then we don’t gotta go nowhere.” She snuck her hands up her shirt, cupping her bare chest. The Officer pursed her lips, pulling her hands down. 

       “We’re not doing anything while you are shitfaced.” She tried to push her off her lap, but she squeezed her thighs around her hips. “Waveee,” the redhead begged with a smile. “C’mon.”

       “Jus a little bit,” she mumbled, dropping her mouth to her neck.

       The front door opened, Wynonna walking in, immediately gagging. “Not on the couch!”

       Nicole got her off her lap and stood up. “She’s drunk off your stupid candy vodka,” she grumbled, holding up the blue liquid. 

       “She drank all that?!” 

       “Yea, in less than 45 minutes. I don’t know how you Earps do it.” She held her hand out to the smaller girl. “Let’s go, Wave. Upstairs. You’re gonna sleep this off.” She took her hand, standing up and falling into her. Nicole sighed, throwing her arms around her neck and picking her up by the thighs. She carried her to the kitchen and set her on the counter, holding her upright with one arm and getting her a glass of water with the other. “Drink.” She handed it to her. She threw her a look but complied.

       Gus walked in as she was chugging it down. “Waves is wasted,” Wynonna snickered, taking a swig of the vodka. 

       “I told you to not let her find that,” Gus sighed, shaking her head at the girl.

       Once she was finished with the water, Nicole picked her back up and headed for the stairs. “I’m hornyyyyy!” She complained, gripping each side of her face.

       Nicole blushed a little, knowing Gus was standing right there. “Too bad. You’re going to bed.” She got them into her room and laid her down on the bed, pulling the covers over her and giving her a kiss. “G’night, Love.”

       The brunette grabbed her arm as she turned away. “Noo, Cole, don’t leave me.”

       Nicole smiled down at her. “I’ll be right back.”

       Her lip wobbled and she tugged on her arm again. “Please? I- I don’t wanna be alone.”

       The redhead sighed, nodding her head as she climbed over her, laying down. “Ok. I’m staying right here, Baby.” She rolled over, hugging herself to the taller girl’s side. “What’s wrong?” She heard her sniffle. “Hey . . .” She rolled to face her, hugging her arms around her. 

       “I’m just so scared, Nic.”

       She felt her tears against her neck. “Of what?” She asked quietly, pulling small tangles out of her hair. 

       “Like . . . What happens when he gets out? We all know he’s gonna come back here. What if he tries to talk to me, or- or-” 

       “Shhh. I won’t let him talk to you. And if he _does_  . . . Well, I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to think about what I’d do.” She felt the silent sobs shake through her, so she sat up and pulled her onto her lap. Waverly pushed her legs behind her back, hugging tightly around her neck. “It’s all gonna be ok, Love.” She shut her eyes, pushing her head against her shoulder and tightening her grip around her waist. 

       After a while, she calmed down, so Nicole laid them back, pulling the blankets up and turning the lamp off. “Get some sleep,” she whispered, running her hand up and down her back, knowing that always made her sleepy. 

       “Mm, lu'you, Cole,” she slurred.

       Nicole smiled, pressing a kiss into her head. “Love you, too, Waves.” She snuggled her head into her chest and the redhead knew she was asleep within a few minutes. She let out a sigh. It was still only 6, so she wasn’t tired at all, but her girlfriend needed her, so she was going to stay. 

       Earlier on trial was the first time she had thought back to the events of the brunette’s attack for a while. Yea, she had _thought_ about it, but not completely through with what she saw. What she heard. The sounds of Waverly screaming and crying out for help filled her head. The look of pure terror on her face filled her thoughts. She shook her head, blinking hard in attempt to make it go away, rubbing her eyes with her left hand. It didn’t stop. She let out a shaky breath, hugging her arms tightly around the sleeping girl, pushing her face into the top of her head. She blinked a single tear out of her eye, slowly breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo, bringing herself back to the present. She decided she had nothing better to do than try and sleep. And, as it turns out, she might have been a little more tired than she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo...Was that boring? I feel like that was boring to read. Idk, let me know below. I've been in a slump for the past 2ish chapters tbh. 
> 
> Take your guess, what do you think his sentence is gonna be??? I'm curious.
> 
> Hope you liked this one!


	36. They've Got, like, Murderers in There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sentence Hearing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here's this. 
> 
> 2,400 words...Very short, I'm sorry.
> 
> Enjoy!!

       Waverly woke up, face smushed into her pillow, a low throbbing behind her eyes. She groaned, smacking the other side of the bed, feeling no Nicole next to her. She lifted her head slightly, squinting her eyes open, searching around the room, confirming that her girlfriend wasn’t there. She saw a note on the bed that was obviously written with her left hand. 

 

**Bring your fine ass downstairs**

**to try some of my 5-star cooking.**

**Meds are on the nightstand.**

**-Chef Nic**

 

       She sighed with a smile, rolling over and taking a handful of pills. She dragged herself out of bed and trudged down the stairs, finding her girlfriend standing at the stove. She walked up behind her, wrapping her arms around her middle, feeling her tense up before recognizing who it was. “Morning,” she mumbled into the back of her shirt.

       Nicole turned around, locking her hands around her waist. “Kiss le cook,” she smirked in a French accent. The brunette wrinkled her nose with a smile, standing up on her toes, pulling the back of her head in. She dropped back to the flats of her feet, wrapping her arms tighter around her middle. “How are you feeling?”

       She looked up at her with a groan. “Why’d you let me do that?”

       Nicole shook her head at her. “I did no such thing,” she corrected. Waverly sighed, moving over to the coffee pot. “You wanna go wake up Wynonna? I’m gonna go get Gus and Doc from outside.” She nodded, setting her mug down and heading upstairs.

       She walked into her room and plopped herself down onto her sleeping sister. Wynonna groaned. “Wake up.” 

       “No,” she grumbled.

       “You’re the one that wanted to come today.”

       The older Earp groaned again. “I didn’t know that meant I had to wake up at the ass crack of dawn.”

       Waverly rolled off of her, standing up and tugging on her arm. “It’s not even that early. C’mon, Nicole made breakfast.”

       She sighed, sitting up and letting the younger girl drag her out of the room. “How kind of her,” Wynonna deadpanned.

       Nicole and Gus were getting the table set when they got downstairs. “Good morning, Wynonna!” The Officer said in an annoyingly cheerful voice to get on her nerves. 

       “It’s really not,” she sighed, sitting down. “Who knew? Haught Potato can cook.” 

       “I do live by myself, you realize that, right?”

       Wynonna threw her a look. “You and Waves basically live together at this point.” Waverly kicked her leg under the table. 

       “Doesn’t Doc live _in your barn_ ?” Nicole asked, tilting her head with a smirk. Doc tipped his mug at her. The older Earp pursed her lips, shoving a forkful of food in her mouth.   


**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole, Waverly, Wynonna, and Gus all climbed out of the car when they arrived at the courthouse, and it was pushing 9 o’clock. Waverly groaned, shielding her eyes from the sun. “At least you’re not horny anymore,” the darker brunette snorted as they walked inside. 

       “ _What_?!” Waverly questioned, furrowing her brow at her. Nicole backhanded Wynonna, giving her a stern look but was still holding back a smile. 

       “What?” Her sister asked faux-obliviously. Waverly rolled her eyes, walking closer to Nicole as they entered the building. A guard took them to the same room they had waited in before their trial last time.

       They saw Jessie and Topher sitting in there already.  “God damn, I thought ya’ll were gonna be late,” Jessie said, sounding relieved.

       All three women sent a glare to Wynonna. “It’s not my fault! I fell back asleep and _none_ of you decided to come and  _check_ up on me!” 

       “You had _a sleeping mask on_ , Wynonna!” Waverly exclaimed, crossing her arms. She put her hands up in surrender. The bickering between the two continued. Topher was looking between them with a very confused look on his face. He made eye contact with Nicole, who looked to be dead inside, shaking her head. She sighed, stepping in between them, placing both of her hands on Waverly’s arms, cutting her off by placing her lips on hers. Her body relaxed after a second and she moved one of her hands to her cheek. 

       “That girl’s a saint, I swear,” they heard Gus sigh. 

       “Blech,” Wynonna gagged. Waverly walked Nicole back, making her purposely bump into her. “aaaaAAHH!” She backed away quickly and the two pulled away from each other, laughing as they pushed their foreheads together. 

       “Each time you insult us, just remember that _you_ have also have kissed this.” She twirled her finger in front of Nicole’s face. The redhead blinked at her girlfriend slowly, Wynonna making an uncomfortable face. 

       “ _That_ sounds like a story I need to hear,” Jessie smirked.

       Waverly matched her face. “Oh, how about I show you?” Jessie’s smile grew wider.

       “ _Waverly_ . . .” They both started, but they were too late. They could already hear the video playing, Topher and Jessie both looking over her arms. 

       “She’s like one of those Facebook moms,” Nicole mock-whispered.

       “Embarrassing her kids left and right,” Wynonna finished. Nicole nodded, looking towards Gus with a helpless look on her face. She pat her shoulder apologetically. Waverly walked back over to them with a proud smile, the Officer shaking her head at her. 

       “You have to do one off of her now, Nicole,” Topher laughed. 

       “No . . .” Waverly slowly slid her fingers down her tie. “I think I get to do one off of you.” She watched her eyes darken with a sly smile. 

       “Y-Yea. Sounds good,” she stuttered, face reddening. 

       “Babygirl stoppp, you’re scaring Gus!” The older Earp had her hands covering the woman’s ears, which she quickly wiggled out of, smacking her arm with a tut.

       The door of the room they were in opened, a Deputy stepping in. “They’re ready for you,” she announced. Waverly looked up at her girlfriend with a totally different face than a few seconds before. Her eyes were wide, mouth slightly open. She gave her a reassuring smile, taking her hand and looking around to all the other faces in the room, confirming that they were ready to go. They all walked out the door, Wynonna, Topher, and Gus heading in a different direction to enter the visitor’s section. The Deputy walked them into the room and they took their seats next to their attorney and lawyer. The Judge called both attorneys up to his stand to speak to them privately.

       They both turned and stood in the middle of the room after a few minutes. “Today we will hear the Jury’s verdict in the case of Ms. Earp and Reyes versus Mr. Hardy. Let’s start with a recap of both side’s claims,” Mr. Clay said. He told a summary of Waverly and Jessie’s stories, and Mr. Reinhardt gave a small defense for Champ.

       Once they were both finished, they sat down and the Judge began to speak. “I think that the jury took a lot of things into thought as they placed their verdict. The stories from both girls, the evidence from Ms. Earp’s case, Sheriff’s Deputy Haught’s testimony, and how Mr. Hardy basically admitted to Ms. Earp _in court_ that he knew he did it.” He removed his glasses, looking up at Champ. “With all things considered, I don’t think it is too shocking that they ruled you guilty on both counts.” Waverly laid her head on Jessie’s shoulder, squeezing Nicole’s thigh. The Judge picked up a paper, bringing it closer to his face. “The Court ruled that the sentencing will be the same for both counts, so you will serve two counts of two years in federal prison with the possibility for parole after one. Together that makes it four years with the possibility for parole after two.” Waverly lifted her head, feeling Nicole digging into her hand. Her jaw was locked and she was glaring at the Judge. She heard a cry from the other side of the courtroom, sounding like Champ.

       “ _BULLSHIT_!” Someone yelled from the back of the room. She quickly recognized it as Wynonna. When she turned, she saw Gus dragging her out of the room.

       She heard another sob come from Champ. “I can’t go to prison! I’m not built for that! They’ve got like . . . murderers in there!” A group of Deputies grabbed onto him as he tried to stand up. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one with that idea.

       Waverly felt the redhead pull against her hand that was clamped onto her upper arm, so she jumped up as she stood, holding her still. “You better sit your ass down, I swear to God,” she gritted through her teeth, throat burning with emotions. The lawyer and attorney stood also, backing up slightly, Mr. Clay looking at them with a sorry face.

       Nicole snapped her head towards him. “What the _hell_ kind of sentence is that?!” She growled, jerking against the brunette’s grip.

       “ _Nicole_ ,” Waverly warned, grabbing her face and turning her head towards her. “Stop.” Her voice broke and the Officer’s face softened. She swallowed, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl. They heard Topher approach Jessie from behind them and Champ crying as he got dragged out of the courtroom. Those were actually the last things Waverly remembered hearing before she felt her legs go numb and watched her vision go black. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The brunette woke up, feeling a warm mass pressed against her neck and a hand on her cheek. She saw she was on her bed. She moved her hand, gently grabbing the arm that was sprawled across her chest.

       The redhead lifted her head, propping it up on her shoulder. “Hey, Baby,” she sniffled, wiping her face on the inside of the t-shirt she now had on.

       Waverly rolled to face her, rubbing her eyes. “Did I pass out again?” She mumbled. 

       “You did,” she confirmed with a nod.

       The brunette groaned, wiping her thumbs under Nicole’s eyes. “And why are you crying on your unconscious girlfriend?”

       She laughed a little. “I don’t know really,” she sighed. “It’s just been a long day.”

       Waverly cocked an eyebrow. “How long was I out?”

       Nicole checked her phone. “Well, it’s 1:30, so like . . . four hours maybe,” she shrugged.

       Waverly let out a raspberry, scooting closer to her. “Did I miss anything?”

       The Deputy sighed heavily. “Well, as I was carrying you out to the car, I saw Wynonna going after the attorneys down the hallway, so I had to set you down in a chair real fast so I could sprint and tackle her before she did something stupid.”

       She looked up at her, blinking slowly. “Should I be surprised?” She asked flatly.

       “Not at all.”

       Waverly sighed, scooting herself up on the bed. “4 years?” She asked, hoping she had only imagined it.

       Nicole pursed her lips, sighing through her nose. Waverly shut her eyes. “I know it’s not enough. But there is nothing we can do. And you know if there was, I would be doing it _right now_.”

       The brunette opened her eyes with a nod. “What’s parole or whatever?”

       She bit at the hole in her cheek that was desperately trying to heal itself. “It basically means that if he behaves himself in there, he can be released in two years.”

       She widened her eyes. “2 years?!”

       The redhead nodded, rolling her eyes. “He’ll have certain restrictions, but yea. It’s possible.” She swallowed, shaking her head. “He won’t even come near you, I promise.” Nicole brushed some hair out of her face, resting her hand back on the pillow.

       “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, clasping her hand over the back of it. 

       “For what?” She asked, looking confused. 

       “For passing out on you . . . again.”

        The redhead smiled. “You can pass out on me any time you want, Love.” The brunette giggled, cupping her cheek, giving her a kiss. She pulled back after a few seconds and they stared at each other, a new fire storming in each of their eyes. Waverly grinned evilly, surging forward and locking their lips as she nudged her hip with her leg. Nicole flipped to her back and grabbed her knee, pulling her onto her lap. She moved her hand to her waist, sliding her thumb under the hem of her shirt. The smaller girl tangled her hand in her hair, sliding her tongue along her bottom lip. Nicole parted her lips slightly, letting her slip her tongue in her mouth, a small moan escaping when their tongues touched. She slid her hand down to her butt, gripping it with a smack, getting a breathy moan from the brunette. 

       “Haught Shit, is she aw-” Wynonna swung the door open. Waverly pulled away from her lips, slowly sitting up, sending her a glare. “I’m gonna take that as a _yes_ ,” she said with a toothy grin.

       Nicole rolled her eyes. “Could you kindly fuck off? We’re _kinda_ in the middle of something here,” she grumbled.

       The older Earp leaned up against the door frame. “I’d rather not have my ears start bleeding, so I think I am going to stay right here.”

       Waverly looked down to Nicole with a shrug, who tipped her head with a smirk. “Suit yourself,” the brunette sighed, leaning back down, kissing her passionately. The redhead smiled, balling up the shirt at her waist in her fist. 

       “Ok! Just- Gus made food!” She quickly closed their door, walking back downstairs. Waverly sat back up, both laughing. 

       “I love doing that,” Nicole snorted, sitting up and locking her hands behind her back. 

       “Me too,” she smiled, cupping her cheeks and giving her a quick kiss. “We should do something tonight.”

       Nicole nodded, sucking one side of her cheek in. She raised her eyebrows. “We could invite people to my garage to screw around and drink?” She suggested.

       The smaller girl wiggled her eyebrows. “That sounds like a _great_ idea.” She paused, stilling her eyebrows. “What people are we talking?” 

       “Like . . . You, me, Jessie, Topher, Wynonna, Doc, maybe Jeremy and Chrissy?” 

       “ _My_ sister?” She questioned.

       Nicole nodded. “She makes everything fun,” she shrugged. 

       “You trust _her_ in _your garage_?” 

       “I’ll bring a gun,” she smiled. Waverly snorted, dropping her head to her shoulder.

       They made their way downstairs after a few minutes, finding Gus and Wynonna sat at the table. “I’m glad you finally decided to join us,” the Older Earp mumbled. 

       “We were discussing our plans for the evening,” Waverly informed as they sat down.

       Wynonna clapped her hands over her ears.“LA LA LA LA I DON’T WANNA KNOW!!”

       Waverly kicked her shin, Nicole dropping her head into her hand. “No, not that,” the brunette grumbled, face a shade of pink. 

       “We’re gonna have a party at my garage tonight and _you_ are invited,” Nicole said, pointing at her with a baby carrot. 

       “You have a garage?” Wynonna questioned. 

       “Where else would I keep my Harley?” She smirked.

       Wynonna grinned evilly. “I’m in!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I call bullshit on that whole courtroom.
> 
> Yell at me if you want, I'm sorry. 
> 
> Thanks for the Kudos and comments!!


	37. I Accidentally Fist Bumped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Waverly host a party at Haught-Rod's Garage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! This one is coming out in a slightly reasonable amount of time from the last one!
> 
> We learn a little bit more about everyone in this one...and let me tell you, there is some tEA.
> 
> Anywho, I'll let ya'll read it.
> 
> Enjoy!

       “I think this looks good!” Waverly smiled, stepping back with her hands on her hips, admiring her work. She had made three signs, all reading “Wynonna: Do Not Touch” in big letters, and placed one on top of each of the vehicles in the garage. 

       “Perfect,” the redhead smirked, kissing her temple.

       She giggled, turning and tugging on the sleeves of her flannel. “When are people going to start getting here?” She asked as they walked over to the couch. 

       “7ish. That’s when I said, and it’s 6:30 now, so Jer should be here any second now.” They heard a faint “ow” come from outside. Nicole pushed herself off the couch just as she sat down. “ _And_ I think he’s here!” She walked to the door, opening it. 

       “Take it!” Waverly heard him exclaim breathlessly. 

       “Jesus Christ, Nerd! Did you buy out the whole store?!” They walked in, each sporting 2 boxes of beer. 

       “Maybe?” Waverly took the top case off of Nicole’s stack after closing the door behind them. “Hey, Waves!” 

       “Hi!” She smiled. They set them all down on the counter and got to work shoving the bottles into the ice bucket.

       His eye caught the signs on the cars. “Wynonna’s coming?” He questioned. 

       “Ya,” Nicole confirmed, breaking a box down. 

       “Does that mean _Doc’s_ coming, too?” He asked maybe a little too excitedly.

       She looked towards him, blinking slowly. Her eyes went wide suddenly and she walked over, shaking his shoulders. “No. _He is straight_. Don’t even.”

       His mouth fell open a little. “What?! No, I don’t like him.” His voice was higher than usual, so Waverly figured he was a pretty bad liar.

       The Officer rolled her eyes at him, walking over to continue helping her girlfriend. “Mhm, keep telling yourself that,” she mumbled. 

       “Don’t act like you’ve never fell for a straight girl, Nicky,” he said, giving her a knowing look.

       She threw him a glare. “There’s a difference between crushing and _obsessing_ ,” she pointed out. 

       “Really? Cause if I remember correctly, you were pretty frickin' hooked on-”

       Nicole pushed a finger to his lips, staring at him wide-eyed. “Shhhhhhhh.” He smirked at her and she shook her head with a small smile. They heard a car horn from outside. 

       “I’ll get it,” Waverly said, walking over towards the door. She saw Topher and Jessie climbing out of their car. “Hi!” She greeted when she opened the door. 

       “Hey, Waves! You’re alive!” Jessie exclaimed. Waverly laughed, taking a bag that Topher handed her. They had been in charge of snacks. They walked inside. 

       “ _Woah_ ,” Topher mumbled under his breath. 

       “Mhm,” Waverly smirked. She looked towards Nicole, who had Jeremy over her shoulder. 

       “Christopher, you better behave yourself,” Jessie warned with a glare. He nodded with a smile. 

       “Say it!” The redhead demanded as Jeremy wiggled around. 

       “Nicole! Put me downnnnn!” 

       “Say it!” Waverly let out a sigh, walking around them so she could put her bag down. Nicole started spinning them in circles. 

       “OK! Ok, I’m sorry!!” She set him down with a proud grin. 

       “Thank you.” 

       “You’re an asshole,” Jeremy grumbled. Nicole opened a beer, tipping the bottle at him. “Waverly, your girlfriend’s an asshole.” 

       “She really is,” she agreed with a smirk, leaning forward on the counter. 

       “Don’t think I won’t do that to you, too,” Nicole warned. She looked over to her with a nervous smile.

       They heard the sound of a rickety truck pull up a few minutes later. “ _Here we go_ ,” Waverly mumbled as she and Nicole walked towards the door.

       Nicole opened it. “Haught Dog!” Wynonna exclaimed as she walked up to them, letting Doc carry everything by himself. She plucked the black beanie off of her head. The redhead tutted, snatching it from her hand and putting it back on.

       “Wynonna, behave,” Waverly chastised.

       “I am!” Nicole rolled her eyes, walking inside. 

       “ _Holy shit_ ,” Wynonna gasped under her breath. Waverly elbowed her. “Aw, you made signs just for me?”

       Nicole chuckled, pulling the pistol out of her waistband. “That’s not the only thing _just for you_.” She spun the gun around her finger.

       Wynonna looked between her and the pistol wide-eyed. “Ok, I’ll behave,” she nodded. Nicole and Waverly smirked and she put the weapon away. Wynonna didn't need to know it wasn't loaded. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “I got an idea,” Nicole slurred. It had been a couple of hours and everyone had drank more than a few. Everyone turned attentively to her. “We should play _Never Have I Ever_!” A series of slurred agreement came from the group.

       Nicole smirked, standing up, Wynonna grabbing her arm as she almost fell forward. “Be careful there, Haught Shot.”

       The Officer pat her shoulder as a thank you. “Grab a drink n’ head upstairs!” She helped her girlfriend to her feet, picking up the bottle of Fireball they had been sharing. They all stumbled upstairs, Jeremy diving into a beanbag.

       “We’re sharing!” Chrissy exclaimed, plopping down next to him. They both laughed hysterically. Nicole and Waverly eyed the pool table, looking back to each other with small smirks on their face. The redhead dropped onto the other beanbag, yanking the smaller girl on top of her. She giggled, situating herself in between her legs. The rest of the group gathered around, all forming in a circle. 

       “Mk, I’m going first, _startin' soft_ . . . Never have I ever gotten a ticket,” she smirked. Waverly looked up at, her rolling her eyes. Everyone but Doc, Waverly, and Nicole drank. 

       “Narc,” Wynonna grumbled. Nicole shot her a wink. 

       “We’re going this way,” Waverly informed, spinning her finger clockwise. They all nodded. “Ok . . . Never have I ever failed a class in school.” Wynonna snorted into her bottle, clinking with Topher, who also drank.

       Jessie shook her head at him. “Never have I ever skipped a class,” she said, drinking herself. Nicole chuckled, taking the bottle from Waverly’s hands.

       She leaned her head back. “Naughty, naughty,” she tutted. 

       “You’re just a nerd.” The brunette pushed her hand to her chest in mock offense. 

       “Alright, now we know Jeremy and Waverly are _boring_ ,” Topher slurred. 

       “We been knew,” Wynonna sighed. Jeremy threw the cap of his beer at her. 

       “We need to kick it up a notch here, People,” Topher declared. “Never have I ever smoked _weed_.” 

       “Pshh.” Wynonna clinked her bottle with Doc as they raised them to their lips. Everyone’s eyes grew wide, watching Sheriff’s Deputy Nicole Haught take a drink of her Fireball. 

       “Nicole!?!” At least 3 of them asked at the same time. She threw her hands out in front of her. 

       “All this time I thought you were a Stickler . . .” Wynonna said breathlessly. 

       “What? Just cause Ima cop ya’ll figured I’ve never had fun?” They all blinked at her, slowly nodding as if it was obvious. 

       “I figured all the _fun_ you had was not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign every so often,” Chrissy admitted.

       “Funny, _Sheriff’s daughter_ ,” she murmured.

       Chrissy widened her eyes. “Don’t tell him,” she whispered beggingly.

       Nicole smiled, raising her pinky finger, locking it with the blonde’s. “But, yea, like every high schooler ever, I came across Mary Jane on _more_ than one occasion.” 

       “Did they _not_ do drug tests on their starters or something?” Waverly asked. 

       “First of all, it was like 4 or 5  _maybe_ _6_  times, I wasn’t a _stoner_. Second of all, they did, but I wasn’t one to _suspect_ so they barely checked me.”

       “Oo, was Haught Hands the star volleyball player?!” Wynonna asked with a snort. 

       “Baseball,” she corrected, handing the bottle to the girl on her lap.

       The older Earp cocked an eyebrow. “Isn’t that a _dude_ sport?” 

       “ _That’s how good she was_ ,” Waverly gushed, squishing her cheeks, wiggling her face around. Nicole rolled her eyes with a disfigured smile, pulling her hand away, intertwining their fingers on the smaller girl’s lap. 

       “Right,” Wynonna sighed. “Never have I ever slept with someone 5 years younger than me.” Doc squinted his eyes at her, a laugh leaving her, Nicole, Jeremy, and Waverly, all knowing she was _a lot_ more than 5 years younger than him. The short brunette passed the bottle up to the redhead with a sly smile. She took a swig, wiggling her fingers over her stomach.

       She giggled, clutching her hand in her own, stilling it. “You’re just mad you’re an old lady,” Waverly teased. Nicole tipped her head, whispering a _probably not-so-family-friendly_ comeback in her ear, proving more so when her face went bright red as the Officer pulled away. 

       “Excuse my _nasty_ sister and her _even nastier_ girlfriend,” Wynonna grumbled. 

       “Wy, I have to _hear_ you and your nasty . . . _Doc_ ,” Waverly retorted. Wynonna looked at her for a second before nodding in agreement and shrugging it off.

       Doc sighed. “Never have I ever used anything _worse_ than marijuana,” he said. Wynonna chuckled, taking a pull of her whiskey. 

       “You’re not gonna go tattle on us, are ya, Haught?” Jessie asked. She pretended to lock her lips, throwing away the key. She smiled, leaning into her fiance, both drinking. 

       “Never have I ever sent nudes,” Chrissy smirked, tracing her eyes around the room, watching everyone but Doc and Nicole drink.        

       Waverly groaned as some of the burning liquid slid down her throat. “Bad decisions were made."

       “Haught Shit, Waves has that pic on her phone, I’m counting it,” Wynonna informed. 

       “She sent that to herself!-” Nicole thought back to her past for a second. “Yea, on second thought, I might need that.”

       Waverly handed it to her. “Oh, do you now?” She asked. 

       “Mhm,” she mumbled into the bottle.

       Jeremy had a small smirk working its way up his face as he thought of his next question. “Never have I ever slept with the opposite sex,” he said with a proud smile. Everyone but him and Nicole drank. His smile grew sly and the redhead widened her eyes, clenching her jaw at him. “Hey Waves, I think Nicky needs that when you’re done,” he informed, not taking his eyes off of Nicole.

       Waverly almost shot the liquid in her mouth back into the bottle. The Officer looked like she was about to strangle him. “Sorry, _what_?!” She asked, looking at Nicole with an amused face.

       She grabbed the bottle out of her hands, taking a drink and crossing her arms, still glaring at her best friend, face redder than her hair. “We’re not gonna talk about it,” she mumbled. “ _Nor were we ever_!” Jeremy laughed evilly. Waverly turned and wrapped her arms around the embarrassed redhead. 

       “I thought you were full on rainbow flag homosexual,” Wynonna admitted. Nicole looked towards her, pursing her lips. “I need to hear this story, Haughty.”

       “I _am_ full on rainbow fla-” She stopped herself, closing her eyes with a sigh. Waverly giggled quietly, enjoying the new shy side of Nicole that she wasn’t used to. “I’m fully gay, yea.” 

       “You don’t have to talk about it if you really don’t want to, Love,” her girlfriend said quietly, kissing the bottom of her jaw gently. She smiled down at her, thanking her for her concern.

       “She’s just gonna torture me more if I don’t,” she pointed out. Waverly nodded, realizing that was a good point. “I was a junior in high school. I had somehow convinced myself that because I had never actually _been_ with a guy, I didn’t know if I was 100% gay or not. I obviously had no idea what I was talking about. I started talking to this closeted senior dude and we apparently had the same mindset, so . . . I ended up at his house. We tried, but we both realized pretty quickly that it was doing neither of us good, so we just ended up playing Mario Kart and eating pizza for the rest of the night.” She cast a glare towards the man laughing his ass off next to her. “Are you pleased with yourself?”

       He wiped his eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more pleased. You’re gonna hate yourself tomorrow.”

       She nodded at him with a tight-lipped smile, an idea having popped into her head. “ _Never have I ever_ gotten caught by my best friend making out with a Justin Timberlake cardboard cutout,” she smirked, tipping her head at him. His mouth dropped open. Everyone around the room broke out into a fit out laughter. “Drink up, Chetri!” He sunk down into the beanbag, slowly bringing the beer to his mouth.

       Wynonna sighed as she calmed down. “Alright, you two, this game is going to lead to some dark secrets if we continue. Let’s switch it up to truth or dare?” Everyone nodded, still calming down from the events of the last minute. Jeremy rubbed his face of embarrassment, sitting up. “Me first!” She traced her eyes around the faces before settling on a pair of honey brown orbs. “Haught Ham, Truth or Dare?”

       She thought it over, deciding it would be crazy to take a dare from an Earp. “Truth,” she answered.

       Wynonna nodded. “Since we were on the topic . . . Where’s the weirdest place you’ve done it?”

       Waverly looked back at her, interested in her answer. She thought it over. “Weirdest place . . . I’m gonna go with . . . Taco Bell bathroom,” she said with a completely straight face. The brunette on her lap snorted, face turning beet red _because of course it did_. 

       “Gee, I wonder who _that_ was with,” Chrissy mumbled. Wynonna blinked at the two of them. 

       “You asked,” Nicole shrugged, a small smile teasing at the corner of her lips. 

       “I didn’t really think that one over,” she said quietly, pushing her hand through her hair.

       Waverly cleared her throat, slowly standing up on unsteady legs, Nicole placing a hand on the back of her thigh to make sure she didn't fall backward. “I think I want a beer,” she sighed. They all came to a consensus to head back downstairs. After those who needed another got one, Nicole decided to move over to the sound system, pressing a few buttons to play one of her sets, sending the brunette a wink before she flipped a switch that turned all the lights off, colorful lights spraying down in beat with the music she was turning up. She walked over to her wide smiling girlfriend with one that matched it. “You continue to amaze me, Officer Haught.” She ran her hand down her front, gripping at the flannel and pulling her into a kiss. 

       “I’m full of surprises,” she slurred as their foreheads touched. The smaller girl smirked, handing her a beer. They walked over to the group of people, looking down to see the tattooed man doing the worm across the floor.

       “It’s official, Topher is cooler than you,” Waverly sighed.

       Nicole raised her eyebrows at her. “Hold my beer.” The brunette widened her eyes as the bottle was pushed into her hand and the redhead stripped her splint, dropping down next to the man and matching his rhythm. The room erupted into cheers and laughter, Waverly leaning into Jeremy as she laughed at the two.

       They both popped up after the song ended, huge smiles on their faces. “That was _awesome_!” Topher exclaimed, still winded. 

       “Hell yea!” Nicole laughed. He held his fist out for a fist bump, which she returned . . . with her right hand. She looked down, smile fading. “Whoops,” she mumbled, fist still clenched. Topher looked at it wide-eyed. She spun around, looking at Waverly.

       She was smiling at her but grew concerned as she read her face. She traced her eyes down to her elevated hand, immediately gasping and rushing forward. “Nicole!” She took hold of her wrist. 

       “I accidentally fist bumped,” she mumbled.

       Waverly pursed her lips at her. “Can you open it?”

       “I dunno,” she shrugged. 

       “Well, try!” The redhead slowly opened it, wiggling her fingers around slightly. The brunette let out a sigh of relief, running her finger down the lines of stitches, making sure she didn’t pop any out. She picked her splint up off the ground, helping her put it back on. “Don’t be stupid again,” she ordered with soft eyes.

       “No promises,” Nicole smiled. She shook her head at her, playfully shoving the beer into her chest. 

       The incident was forgotten about as time ticked on into the later hours of the night. They had all been drunk dancing and screwing around, falling over one another at some points. The number of beer bottles scattered around the room grew at a steady rate. Some were empty, some were half empty and forgotten about. 

       Jessie stumbled over to the younger Earp, whispering in her ear. An evil grin grew on her face. She took hold of Nicole’s hand, dragging her over to the counter. 

       “Wynonna, get your phone ready!” Jessie shouted. The darker brunette looked at her funny, but when she saw Waverly cleaning all the shit off the counter, she knew what was about to happen. 

       “What’re you doin’?” Nicole asked.

       “Get up there,” Waverly smirked. 

       “Wha-” She stopped, seeing Jessie taking a lime out of a bag they brought. She looked back to the smaller girl, pulling her bottom lip in. The redhead hopped up onto the counter and laid back. 

       “What’re you about to do, Babygirl?” Wynonna asked, pointing the phone at her.

       “ _Bodyshot_!” She slurred with a toothy grin. She turned and climbed up onto the counter, sloppily straddling her legs. She leaned forward, hovering above her face. “You ready, Baby?” She husked.

       The girl under her let out a shaky breath, pupils blown. “Yea, mhm!” She spewed quickly with a nod.

       Waverly smiled, kissing the bridge of her nose before she sat up. She went to work unbuttoning her flannel. She looked up slightly when she reached the bottom, corners of her mouth turning upwards. “You made a mistake wearing this kind of bra.” She unzipped the front of her sports bra. 

       “Waver-” The brunette stuck the lime Jessie had set next to her head in her mouth. Nicole looked up at her with wide eyes, feeling her tucking each side of the bra back under the sides of the flannel so it was the only thing covering her breasts.

       Jessie walked up beside them with a container of salt. “Ready?” She asked, looking at Nicole. She nodded, looking up at her girlfriend. The other brunette drew a line of salt up the middle of her abs and another in between her breasts. She set the shot in between her legs. “Go for it!”

       Waverly gave the redhead a sultry smirk as she bent down, pressing her nose into her centre as she picked up the shot glass, sitting up and tipping it back. She handed it to Jessie and locked eyes with Nicole as she dipped down, slowly sliding her tongue up her abs, feeling the muscles flutter under her touch. She continued up, tasting the new line of salt hit her tongue. She giggled, hearing the redhead’s breathing pick up. She lifted her head, hovering over her face. Nicole’s eyes were as wide as they could be. She licked her lips and moved her hands up, gripping her hair as she met her mouth. The group around them whooped. Waverly looked up at Wynonna, smiling with the rind sitting in front of her teeth. Her sister shook her head, ending the video. She laughed, pulling it out of her mouth. She looked down at the _very turned on_ redhead and leaned down, kissing her deeply as she carefully reached in her shirt, zipping her bra back up. She sat up, stumbling off the counter when she was done. 

       “That was . . . _good job_ ,” Nicole mumbled as she hopped down, buttoning her shirt back up.

       They both turned at the sound of buttons scattering across the floor over the volume of the music. “Your turn, Cowboy,” Wynonna smirked, holding onto the sides of Doc's shirt that she had just ripped open. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole’s eyes blinked open, body involuntarily groaning. “ _Holy fucking shit_.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. 

       “That’s a potty word,” a voice groaned.

       She lifted her head slightly, squinting down, seeing that her girlfriend’s head was resting against her stomach, body sprawled out in between her legs. On further inspection, she realized they were laying on a bean bag _that had somehow ended up downstairs_ and _neither_ of them had a shirt on, just their bras. “ _What the fuck_?” She mumbled, barely audible. 

       “ _Shut up_ , you’re hurting my everything,” the brunette grumbled.

       Nicole sighed painfully, shutting her eyes. They fired open at the sounds of vomiting coming from across the room. “That better not be on my floor,” she said loud enough for whoever it was to hear. 

       “I should make it as a punishment for letting me drink so goddamn much,” Chrissy complained. She heard feet trampling down the stairs, across the floor, and to the blonde’s position at the trash can, letting their own spray of last night’s mistakes out. 

       “Remind me to _never_ drink again,” Jeremy grumbled, plopping onto his back. Chrissy muttered an agreement. 

       “Wave, move,” Nicole said. “I need to go make sure everyone is alive.” She groaned, wrapping her arms around one of her legs. “Babe, c’mon.” She pulled her arms off, rolling out from under her, lying face-down on the cold concrete for a second. She slowly stood, stopping as she felt her own stomach churn. Thankfully, she seemed to be in the clear. Her shirt was nowhere in her close proximity, so she sighed, walking over to the duo lying near the trash can. “You seen my flannel?” She mumbled, shielding her eyes from the window near them. 

       “Nope,” they both answered.

       Nicole turned away, trudging over to the couch, finding Doc and Wynonna splayed out across it. She poked Wynonna in the forehead. “Wake up, asscrack.” She got nothing. She poked her again a little harder on the cheek. Still nothing. With a groan, she punched her in the boob.

       Her eyes flashed open as she clutched her chest. “Go mess with Waverly’s tits!” She complained, furrowing her eyebrows at her.

       “I was making sure you weren’t dead,” she informed, lightly smacking Doc on the cheek a few times. He blinked his eyes open slowly at her. “Howdy, Pardner.”

       He tipped his hat, untangling his arm from the sleeve of his shirt that somehow got wrapped around it. “Where’s your shirt?” The older Earp asked, rubbing her eyes. 

       “Don’t know.” She moved away from them, walking past the beanbag, seeing that her girlfriend had fallen back asleep. Upstairs, she found Topher on the floor next to Jessie, who was half on the other beanbag. She leaned down slowly, grabbing on the silver-haired man’s leg, shaking it around. “Rise and shine.” He groaned after a few seconds, flipping over and covering his face with his arms. “Your pants are behind your head,” she informed, moving over to his fiance. He smacked his hand backward, feeling around, grabbing them after a few seconds. 

       “Please tell me I have underwear on,” he mumbled. 

       “You do. I wouldn’t say the same about her, though.” He muttered a laugh, looking over at the bare ass hanging off the beanbag near his head. “You can do the honors if you want.” He smiled, bringing his hand back, smacking it down.

       She let out a whimper, pulling her shirt down over her butt. “What the hell?” She complained with a sleepy slur. 

       “Ya’ll haven’t seen Waverly or I’s shirts, have you?” Nicole asked, walking about the room, looking around. She got two negative responses, so she walked downstairs again and sat down next to the beanbag, rubbing her hand gently on Waverly’s back. “Wake up, Pretty Girl.”

       She grunted, rolling over. She must have _also_ not realized they ended up on a beanbag because she rolled right off onto the floor, smacking the back of her head onto the concrete. Nicole gasped at the noise, pushing the beanbag out of the way, walking closer to her on her knees. “Ah, fuck!” She whined, gripping the sides of her head as she squished her eyes together. 

       “You ok, Baby?” She asked, concern showing through her tightly furrowed eyebrows as she cupped her cheek. 

       “No,” she whined.

       The redhead clenched her jaw, placing her hands on her shoulders and sitting her up. Waverly gripped her arm, feeling pretty lightheaded. Nicole turned her, putting her hand on the back of her neck. “Let me see.” She slowly pushed her fingers up the back of her head, stopping when she felt a goose egg. “Just a bump, you’ll be ok.”

       The brunette whined again, leaning into her. She sat back, looking down at herself, then over to Nicole. “Our shirts are still behind the bar,” she said with a small smile, buttoning the button on the Officer’s jeans and straightening the hem on her briefs.

       Nicole cocked an eyebrow. “What?”

       Waverly blinked at her. “What? You don’t remember?”

       Nicole’s eyes widened. “Remember _what_?” 

       “We kinda . . . did things . . .” She traced her fingers down her arm.

       The redhead’s eyes were still just as wide as she nodded her head quickly. “With _everyone_ here?” 

       “They were all _busy_ with themselves,” she smirked.

       Nicole sighed a relief, quickly cocking her head. “What were Jer and Chrissy doing?” Waverly shrugged. 

       “We were shielding our ears from all of you noisy assholes,” Jeremy informed from his position on the floor.

       The Deputy grimaced at him. “ _Sorry_ , I know she’s pretty loud,” Nicole joked. The brunette smacked her shoulder, face a deep red. 

       “No . . . The loudest was Doc.” Waverly snorted, clapping her hand over her mouth, vibrations reminding her of her pounding headache.

       They heard two sets of feet coming downstairs. “Christopher Alexander, if I turn out _fucking_ pregnant, I swear,” Jessie warned.

       He threw his hands out in defense. “My pull out game is _strong_!” 

       “You better hope so!” She walked around the counter, looking down. “Found your shirts,” she said, holding them up with a smile.

       Nicole stood up slowly, another wave of nauseousness rolling over her. She held a finger up to Jessie, nodding her head and walking towards her after a couple of seconds. “Thanks,” she mumbled, slipping her’s on and tossing Waverly’s to her. “Anyone know what time it is?” She held down the power button on her phone, the screen showing it was dead.

       “About 1:30,” Chrissy said, looking at her phone.

       Nicole’s heart jumped up to her throat. “ _Shit_.” She quickly picked up her car keys from across the counter, rushing around it, bending down and kissing her girlfriend’s forehead. “Make sure everyone gets out of here safe and lock up when you leave, I have to be at work in 30 minutes.”

       The brunette’s eyes shot open and she grabbed her arm as she went to turn around. “Nicole, you can’t drive like _this_!”

       She gave her a small smile. “I guess I’m about to,” she shrugged. “I’ll be ok. I love you and I’m sorry, but I can’t miss work, I’ve already missed enough lately.”

       Waverly looked up with concern in her begging eyes. She pulled away from her, jogging towards the door. “Be careful!”

       “I will, I prom-” She pushed her hand off the doorframe, rebounding herself back to the trash can, shoving her face in it. 

       “ _Nicole_!” Waverly complained, pushing herself off the floor.

       The redhead looked up at her, wiping her mouth on her collar with a forced smile. “I’m _fine_ , Wave!” She quickly made her way back to the door. 

       “That was nasty, Haught Shit!” Wynonna shouted. The Officer threw her the finger as she closed it behind her. 

       “If she dies, I’m going to kill her,” the brunette grumbled. 

       “That doesn’t make sen-”

       Jeremy was cut off when Waverly shot him a piercing glare. “I know it didn’t make sense!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop
> 
> Waverly might be a liiiittle pissed. 
> 
> How much of the night does Nicole remember? I'm sure that will be a fun conversation in the future.
> 
> I have to sit in a car for 4 hours in about 6 hours, so I should get some writing in.
> 
> Thanks for all the feedback!


	38. What Happened?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly gives Nicole her opinion and it does not go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooui, this was fast. I got an idea in the car and, well, here it is. 
> 
> Idk what else to say besides...hope you like angst :)

       “You look like shit.”

       Nicole looked up at Dolls with her eyes narrowed as she poured a cup of coffee. “Thank you. I didn’t realize.”

       He raised his eyebrows, taking a bite of an apple. “Rough night?”

       She blinked at him. “Do I _really_ look up for an interrogation right now to you?” He put his hands up, walking back to his office. She fumed deeply, watching his back as he left. 

       “Haught, tuck your shirt in,” Nedley ordered, walking into the room.

       She looked towards him slowly, glaring at him as she did so. “Yes, Sir,” she muttered.

       He took a long sip of his coffee, eyeing her. She gulped, straightening her posture. “At ease . . . We all have our days.” She forced a small smile, relaxing a little bit. “Well, I _was_ coming in here to tell you that the high school has requested security at the big game today, but I think Lonnie and Schmitt can handle it on their own.”

       She leaned back onto the counter, looking down into her cup. “Thank you, Sheriff.”

       He nodded. “Keep yourself on stand by, though. You never know with them.” He gave her a wink, walking out. She downed the coffee, poured herself a new cup, and trudged back to her office to do some more brain-aching paperwork. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       An hour or two later, Nicole was walking back from her 6th coffee refill when she saw the Earp girls walk into the station. “Hey, Bab-” A black cloth being thrown at her face cut her off. 

       “Here’s your _stupid_ hat,” Waverly snapped, walking past her with a glare.

       The Officer looked down at the beanie, confused about what had just happened. “Wave,” she called after her, walking quickly to catch up with the tiny bundle of fury heading for the BBD office. “Hey.” She shoved her hand against the door, stopping her from closing it in her face like she was trying to. “Waverly, come here.” The shorter girl huffed, walking back out of the room and standing in front of her. “What is your problem?” 

       “Don’t you have _work_ to do?” She asked, crossing her arms. 

       “I’d rather figure out why my girlfriend is all pissy.”

       Waverly laughed. “Wow, I’m surprised. You are putting something before your job _for once_.”

       The redhead cocked an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

       “There is _no_ reason why you should be here right now! You are _so_ freaking sick and don’t tell me you’re not because your face is _literally_ green.”

       It took every ounce of control in the redhead’s body to not roll her eyes at her. “I’m hungover, whoop-dee-do! You think I’ve never gone to work feeling like shit before?”

       Waverly shook her head, dropping her shoulders. “That’s not the point! You are putting work over your own _health_ , Nicole!”

       “Waverly, _I am fine_!”

       The brunette stuck her tongue up against her teeth. “Yea? How many times have you thrown up?”

       Nicole pursed her lips.“That doesn’t matter,” she mumbled. 

       “It does _too_ matter! Why don’t you just go _home_?!”

       The Officer threw her arms out in front of her, anger getting the best of her. “Because it's my _fucking job_ , Waverly! Don’t you get that?! I have to _protect and serve_ no matter _how_ shitty I feel!” 

       “Oh, _please_. You’re not the only deputy here right now.”

       “I actually am at the moment,” she corrected. “And even if there _were_ others here, it wouldn’t matter. This isn’t the same as being a bartender, I can’t just _not_ show up and hope someone can cover me! I’m assuming that’s what you did.” The brunette rolled her eyes. “I’m sure that new girl was _more_ than happy to cover your shift, wasn’t she?” She asked with a sneer. 

       “So what if she was? Do you have a problem with that? Are other females not allowed to be nice to me now?”

       Nicole’s lip twitched as she sucked in a deep breath. “ _Don’t_ come in here and tell me how to do _my_ job! I’m a grown _ass_ woman and I can make _my_ decisions _myself_! Quit treating me like I’m 5 years old!”

       She could see the hurt behind her eyes, but she was too stubborn to do anything about it. “I don’t want you to get hurt, Nicole,” she said, voice softer than earlier. 

       “Just lay off, ok?! God damn!” She turned away right as she saw the tears gather in her eyes. She stomped off to her office, grabbing her jacket, and stormed out the front door. She didn’t dare look towards Waverly. She slammed the door of her cruiser closer hard enough, she was sure she could have shattered her window. Yanking the radio off her shirt, she pressed the button on the side. “Sheriff?” 

       “Haught.” She could tell by the tone of his voice that he had heard _all_ of that from his office. 

       “I’m going on patrol,” she mumbled.

       There was silence for a few seconds. “Are you ok, Nicole?” He asked softly.

        Her lip wobbled. 

       “Randy,” she warned, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible, though she was unsuccessful. 

       “Alright, just be safe, kid.”

       “Yep,” she choked out, closing her eyes and shoving the keys in the ignition. 

 

**___**

 

       Waverly watched Nicole leave, hugging her arms around herself, covering her mouth as tears started rolling down her cheeks. She heard her car door slam from inside, making her flinch. There was a radio box up at the front desk, so she heard the call-over of their whole conversation. She sunk down against the wall, pulling the hem of her hoodie over her nose and mouth, realizing from the smell that it was the one she had stolen from her before her surgery. A wave of anger rushed over her, causing her to immediately tug the garment off of her body, slamming it to the floor next to her. She stood up, balling it up in her hands as she walked over to her office, opening the door and chucking it into it, hearing it knock some things off her desk.

       After letting out a long, aggravated sigh, she wiped her eyes and clumped into the BBD office. Dolls and Wynonna looked up at her with questioning eyes. “What?!” She snapped, shaking her head and shoving her shoulders up. 

       “You ok, Babygirl?” Wynonna asked gently. 

       “Never better,” she nipped. Her eyes instantly filled with tears, face changing from angry to sad in less than a second. She covered her face as the tears stormed out. Her sister rushed over, wrapping her in a hug. She let the sobs file out, clutching the back of her sister’s leather jacket. “It’s all my fault,” she blubbered. 

       “It’s not. I know she didn’t mean any of that.”

       “Yea she did.”

       She rubbed her hand up and down her back, trying to soothe the crying girl. “She loves the _shit_ out of you, Waves. She’s just upset right now.” Wynonna pulled back, placing her hands on her cheeks.

       “None of this would have happened if I wouldn’t have been such an asshole.” 

       “Ok, you both were _equally_ assholes- well, more her, just cause _you_ are my baby sister- but still.”

       Waverly threaded her eyebrows tightly together. “Sh-She’s gonna break up with me an-and it’s all going to b-be my fault!” 

       “Oh, jeez. She’s not gonna break up with you. She’ll get over herself eventually, you know that.”

       The corners of her mouth turned down, tears getting caught in the dents of her cheeks. “I don’t know, Wy! I don’t know anything anymore!” She pulled away from her, pushing her hand through her hair. “I think I am just gonna go home . . .”

       “I’ll come with you,” she offered with a smile.

       Waverly swallowed, trying to calm herself down a little. “No, it's ok, you’ve got work to do . . . I kinda wanna be alone anyway.”

       The older Earp bit the side of her cheek. “I . . . don’t want you to be alone,” she mumbled. 

       The younger girl cocked an eyebrow. “Why?”

       She looked down to her feet, scuffing her toe on the tiles. “Remember what happened _last time_ I left you alone when you were upset?” She asked quietly, looking up at her through her lashes.

       Waverly’s eyes widened, her head pulling back a bit. “Oh, thanks. Just shove it _right_ in my face, Wynonna.”

       “I’m sorry, Waves, I just don’t-”

       “I told you I’d never do it again,” she growled lowly.

       Wynonna gulped. “But-” 

       “Save it, I don’t care.” she snapped, turning out the door, slamming it behind her. She grit her teeth as she left the station, it only then hitting her that she rode with her sister there, meaning she had no car. After a few curses, she began walking in the direction of the Homestead. She knew it would probably take her at least 2 hours to get back, but she couldn’t care less. She needed time to think about everything. 

       After about an hour, she reached the Purgatory sign. She was going the slightly quicker way to reach the Homestead. There was one thought rolling around in the back of her head: that she would have kept Nicole’s hoodie on, the only reason being that the temperature was dropping pretty fast and she still had some way to go in just a t-shirt and leggings. She hugged her arms closer to her body, kicking a rock along as she walked. She looked up at the sound of a car nearing her, seeing the white body and lights mounted on top, no doubt a Purgatory Sheriff’s car. She looked down with a huff, hoping it wasn’t the one person she didn’t want to see right now. 

       Sure enough, as she glanced up when it passed, she saw a head of fiery hair . . . with a bottle of whiskey pressed to her lips. “Wooooooow,” She breathed aloud to herself, shaking her head with a huff. She booted the rock she had been kicking, sending it skidding across the road. 

 

**___**

 

       When Nicole said she was going on patrol, she wasn’t lying. She _did_ drive around for a good 20 minutes, but she figured sobbing her eyes out in a cop car _probably_ wasn’t the best look for Purgatory’s Finest. She drove up to The Hill (The official name they decided on for the place they watched the sunset after their first date when they visited again a few days before Waverly’s trial) and sat against the side of the car, sipping on the bottle of whiskey she kept in her trunk. 

       She didn’t think she had ever been more mad at herself. The things she had said had flown out of her mouth before she could even comprehend them. She only really cared about two things in the world: her job and Waverly Earp. And she could lose both of them. She made her girlfriend cry for _literally no reason except for the fact that she was in a bad mood_ and then _left her_. And now she was drunk on the job. And pretty drink at that, about 1/3 of a bottle of Jack Daniel’s worth. She sniffed, wiping her eyes as she pushed herself off the ground and into the driver’s seat. Her shift was until 11 and it was barely 6, so she knew she had to go fess up to Nedley. She couldn’t hide out here forever. 

       As she drove along, blasting depressing country music like the true Texan she was, she spotted a person walking up the side of the road in the distance. This wasn’t too unusual for Purgatory. They had their fair share of prostitutes in the area. It was not until she passed her that she had to do a double-take, looking back through her rear-view mirror at the woman, nearly spitting out the sip she had just taken when she confirmed it was Waverly. “What in the hell?” She slurred, digging her phone out of her pocket. 

 

**Haught N Bothered: Y is ur sister waling alonfg the side of the rod by hersef?**

**Earp: Where?**

**Haught N Bothered: Past Purgatry sign. Just drov by her.**

**Earp: And u didn’t pick her up? Wtf**

**Haught N Bothered: Plz justmake sure she dsn’t get kiddnsped or somethig, ok?**

**Earp: 1, Ur an ass. 2, R u drunk?**

 

       Nicole rolled her eyes, tossing the phone onto the seat. Pulling up to the station a few minutes later, she climbed out and shoved the bottle back into the trunk before taking a breath and heading as soberly as she could into the building. Wynonna bumped into her as she turned a corner. “Haught.” She greeted, a snark in her voice. 

       “Earp.” She looked past her, not once making eye contact.

       Wynonna took in the scent of her breath. “You _are_ drunk!” She gasped, poking a finger into her chest.

       She snapped her eyes toward her. “Would you shut up!?” She darted her eyes across the room. “Don’t you have something you should be doing?”

       The brunette narrowed her eyes at her, grabbing the front of her uniform, turning them and shoving her against the wall. The redhead had expected more if she was honest, so she let out a small sigh, looking past her again. “Don’t _you_ have something you should be doing?” She probed.

       “What’s that?” She slurred. Wynonna brought her forward, switching one of her hands to her neck, and shoved her back again, hearing the back of her head wack against the wall. 

       “Uhh, _apologizing_ to my _baby sister_ for being a complete bag of dicks! Ring any bells?!”

       Nicole swallowed, trying to suck in some air from the increased squeezing of her fingers. “I- Can you tell ‘er I’m sorry? Cause I really am, Wynonna. I didn’t mean to.” Wynonna groaned, pushing more pressure with her wrist against her front. 

       “How about you grow a pair and do it yourself?!” Her mouth fell open in an attempt to say something, but nothing came out. Wynonna shook her head at her, dropping her voice low. “I _really_ thought you were better than that, Haught. I really did . . . Don’t go near her. I don't want to see your face unless you’ve got something nice to say.” She brought her face closer to her’s, hearing her breathing pick up. “ _And if I ever hear you yell at her like that again _ . . .” She pulled Peacemaker out, shoving the end of the barrel against the bottom of her chin. “ _You better hope and pray you die from the amount of lead I’m gonna shove up your ass_.” The only reason the redhead didn’t fall to the ground out of fear was that Wynonna was so close to her that her body was holding her up. She was shaking like a leaf, eyes as wide as saucers. 

       “Wynonna! Get that _damn_ gun off of my Deputy!” Nedley ordered, walking towards them with his hand hovering above his holster. Both girls looked toward him. The brunette clenched her jaw, shoving Peacemaker back into its holster. “Let her go, Earp!” 

       “I was gonna have some fun with you. I guess I’ll have to make it last.” She let go of her neck, drawing her fist back. 

       “ _Wynonna_!” Nedley didn’t catch her in time. Her fist connected with Nicole’s face, knocking her out, sending her limp body sideways down to the tile, head bouncing off the floor. Nedley grabbed her arm as she tried to leave out the door. “What the hell is wrong with you?! That’s my best deputy your knocking around!” 

       “I don’t care who she is. She hurt my baby sister.” Wynonna shook her arm loose, storming out the door. The Sheriff dropped to his knees, flipping the Officer to her back, pressing his fingers against her neck, quickly finding a pulse. When he dropped his ear to her chest to see if she was breathing, he smelled the whiskey on her. He pursed his lips, sitting back up, turning his attention to the gash on her cheekbone from one of the rings on Wynonna’s fingers. 

       “C’mon, Haught, wake up.” He tapped lightly on her opposite cheek. “Nicole.” He saw Lonnie and Schmitt walk back in, the game having turned out nice and quiet. They looked wide-eyed at their colleague on the ground. “Will one of you pull your thumb outta your ass and grab me some tissues!?” They quickly rushed off to complete his orders, Schmitt returning first, handing him the box. He pulled some out, pushing it against her cheek to stop the flow of blood gushing out. He checked her pulse again, still pumping strong. “Wake up, kid,” he begged, shaking her shoulder. “You’re gonna hate it if I have to carry you out of here.” That seemed to work. Her eyes slowly blinked open, drowsily looking over his face. “There you are,” he smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. 

       “What happened?” She slurred, reaching up to touch her face.

       He stopped her hand. “Wynonna happened,” he grumbled. He grabbed her by the upper arms. “Let’s sit up.” He pulled her to a sitting position slowly, turning her so her back was against the wall. 

       “Wynonna? Why . . .” She looked past him. “ _Oh_.”

       Nedley smiled apologetically. “I’m taking you to the hospital. You’ve got a hefty gash on your left cheek that needs to be stitched up. And you probably have a concussion from hitting your head against the floor.” She went to complain against it, but he gave her a stern look, so she nodded. He grabbed both of her arms, pulling her to her feet, wrapping an arm around her waist to hold her steady. He walked them out, getting her in the passenger's seat of his car.

       Nicole became confused when he pulled up to her house. “I thought we were going to the hospital?”

       “We are. But you’re gonna go change first.”

       She cocked her head. “Why?”

       He pursed his lips, removing his hat. “I don’t think it’d be best for your reputation to show up at a hospital drunk and in uniform,” he informed with a knowing look.

       Her mouth dropped open, eyes widening. “Sir, I-I’m so sorry-”

       “Nicole,” he cut her off. “You got in a bar fight, _remember_?” She blinked at him for a second before understanding. She smiled slightly, nodding her head as a thank you before climbing out of her car to go put on civilian clothes.

 

**___**

 

       Waverly’s heart sped up as she heard a car pull up beside her. She calmed down, seeing it was just Wynonna. A very pissed off looking Wynonna. She rolled down her window. “Get in the car,” she ordered. 

       “No.” She kept walking, her sister slowly rolling along beside her. 

       “Waverly,” she warned. 

       “I’m fine, Wynonna,” she huffed. The dark brunette stopped the car, climbing out and grabbing her arm, dragging her around to the other side. “Ow! Let me go!” 

       “Get in.” She opened the door, pushing her towards it. She threw her an annoyed look, reluctantly climbing into the truck. Wynonna hopped in, pulling away. “What the hell were you thinking, Waverly?! It’s getting dark, it’s cold, you’re _alone_!” 

       “I was _fine_ , Wynonna! How’d you even know I out here?”

       Wynonna looked at her briefly before turning her attention back to the road. “I _thought_ you took my truck when you left, but I saw it was still at the station,” she lied.

       Waverly crossed her arms, leaning her head against the window. She heard the distant sound of sirens approaching from behind them. She looked out the mirror, watching the Sheriff’s car quickly catch up with them, driving around them and speeding off ahead. “Why’s Nedley rushing out of town?” She asked.

       Wynonna looked toward her again, shrugging. “Beats me.” She gripped the wheel harder. She knew damn well where he was headed off to.

       Waverly casted her glance to her right knuckles, seeing the slight swelling forming along them. She grabbed her hand off the wheel, looking closer. Wynonna tugged her hand away, crossing it across her lap so she couldn’t see it. “Wynonna,” she said shakily. “What did you do?”

       She shook her head. “I didn’t do anything, what’re you talking about?”

       The younger girl turned her body towards her. “Wynonna! What did you do?!” She cried. She heard her phone start ringing in the cup holder, so she grabbed it before she could. The name at the top read “Sheriff Shit Head”. She swallowed hard. 

       “Waverly, don’t-”

       She grabbed for the phone, but Waverly already had it pressed against her ear. “ _Earp, if you knock out one of my Deputies again, I’m putting you away!_ ” Nedley yelled into the phone.

       Waverly clapped her hand over her mouth, snapping her head to her wide-eyed sister. “Nedley?” She asked shakily. 

 

**___**

 

       “Haught, keep that damn rag pressed against that, would ya?” She pursed her lips, doing so, wincing slightly. Her left eye was almost completely swollen shut at this point. He drove around Wynonna’s pickup with a huff, pulling his phone out of his pocket, putting it on speaker as he called her. He heard it answer and he didn’t want to hear her snarky remarks start up, so he began to speak immediately. “Earp, if you knock out one of my Deputies again, I’m putting you away!” He hadn’t expected Waverly’s voice to fill the car. Nicole looked towards him, mouth falling open slightly. He cleared his throat, pushing the phone to his ear. “Waverly.”

       “ _Is she ok_?” 

       “I’m . . . not sure. We’re going to go find out.” Nicole was trying to hear what she was saying, but it was too quiet.

       “ _Wynonna stop! . . . What happened_?”

       Nedley hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “Basically what’d you’d expect with your sister . . .” He sighed. He could hear them fighting in the background. 

       “ _Just . . . make sure she’s ok_.”

       He nodded, not that she could see that. “That’s my number one priority right now, Dear.” He paused for a second. “Do you want to ta-” 

       “ _Nope_ ,” she choked, cutting him off and hanging up. He brought the phone away from his face, looking down at the screen before turning it off and putting it back into his pocket. He looked over to his Deputy, who had her head laying against the window, eyes closed and arms wrapped around herself. He knew she had figured out her answer to his question. With a sigh, he reached over, patting her knee. The redhead opened her eyes, tears silently rolling down her cheeks. 

 

**___**

 

       The older Earp pulled the truck into the driveway, pushing her body as close as she could to the door, Waverly’s screams coming at her like wildfire. “TELL ME WHAT YOU DID TO HER!!” She demanded for the hundredth time. 

       “OK!” She climbed out of the car, staying on her side as Waverly jumped out and approached her with tears streaming down her face. Wynonna backed up from the angered girl. “I-I only threatened her a little . . . and put Peacemaker against her neck- but I only punched her once! I promise!” 

       She shoved her sister. “Nedley said she was _knocked out_! Why would she pass out from _one_ punch?!”

       Wynonna groaned. “She was drunk off her ass, Waverly! She could barely walk into the station!” Waverly tried to swallow the hurricane of emotions, but she couldn’t, so she turned away, running inside and up to her room. 

       The pillow she buried her face into was only lessening the sounds of her sobs a little, so Wynonna had to put some earbuds in downstairs. She was her baby sister. Of course she wanted to comfort her, but she knew she was only making it worse. 

       Gus walked in, eyeing Wynonna as the sound filled her ears. “What did you do?” She demanded. 

       “She got into a fight with Nicole,” she mumbled, picking at the seam of a throw pillow. 

       “And you are letting her bawl her eyes out because?!” 

       “She’s mad at me.” 

       “Why?”

       “Cause I put Nicole in the hospital . . .” She looked up at her with a face that screamed nervousness. 

       “WYNONNA!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. 
> 
> There's that. 
> 
> I'm sorry.


	39. I Knew That From the Day I Met You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oop, angst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pow, Pow, Pow, I'm shooting these out fast, man!
> 
> Here's the next installment of What Happens When You Don't Communicate With One Another. 
> 
> Ya'll seemed to like the last one unless you are lying to me, so let's hope it stays the same!

       After listening to Wynonna’s pathetic excuse for punching the Officer, Gus made her way upstairs, lightly knocking on Waverly’s door. She didn’t hear an answer, so she cracked the door open, peeking her head in. “Sweetheart?” Her heart shattered, seeing the girl curled up in the fetal position, facing away from the door, the sounds of her cries echoing off the walls. She walked in slowly, sitting on the edge of the bed, resting her hand on her side. 

       “It’s all my fault, G-Gus,” she sobbed.

       Gus pursed her lips. “How’s it your fault?” 

       “She wouldn’t be h-hurt if I wouldn’t have gotten all upset with her in the f-first place.” She flipped to her back. “And I’m still so mad at her and I’m trying not to be, but- but I still am.” 

       “And that’s ok. It’s ok to be mad. But you shouldn’t blame yourself. Couples fight and it's perfectly ok. You’re not supposed to agree on everything. Maybe she shouldn’t have blown her top at you, but sometimes things happen in the heat of the moment.”

       Waverly sniffled. “I yelled at her cause I didn’t want her to get hurt, and because I did, Wynonna hurt her! It _is_ my fault!” 

       “Wynonna had _no_  right to do that to her. It had nothing to do with you. She just involves herself in everyone else’s business. She’ll learn.” 

       “She’s just a shithead,” Waverly mumbled, wiping her face off. 

       “Yea . . . She is.” Gus laid down next to her. “Are you going to be ok, Dear?” 

       “I don’t know . . . I don’t know what to do now.” She was speaking barely above a whisper. 

       “Well, the first thing you need to do is talk to Nicole about it. Nothing’s going to happen until you work out your differences.”

       “I . . . I don’t know if I can talk to her yet. She probably doesn’t want to talk to me, either.”

       Gus sighed, rolling to face her with a small smile. “Take all the time you need, Honey. She’s a good kid. She’ll wait for you if she’s ready before you are.”

       Waverly rolled onto her side. “You think so?” She asked, wiping her face on her shirt. 

       “I know so.” 

       She sighed, biting the side of her lip. “It just hurts so bad.” Another tear escaped her eye. And then another. And another. Before she knew it, she was sobbing in her aunt’s arms. 

 

**___**

 

       Nedley got Nicole out of the cruiser and up to the ER room desk. The nurse looked up at them from her computer, handing them a clipboard. “Fill this out and we’ll get to you as soon as possible.”

       Nedley gave her a smile, leaning closer to the counter. “Ma’am. My Deputy most likely has a concussion. I’d like her treated immediately.”

       She sighed, pushing the clipboard closer to him. “I’m sorry about that, Sir. But there are probably _3 other people_ in that waiting room also with concussions. She’ll have to wait her turn.” 

       “Sheriff, it’s fine,” Nicole slurred, shifting her weight on her feet. 

       “No, it’s not fine,” he huffed, turning back to the nurse. “Maybe I should be more clear, I-” 

       “ _Seriously, Nicole_?!” She sucked in a breath, rolling her eyes painfully at the voice. 

       “Shoot me,” she muttered, turning her attention to the tall woman gawking at her face from the doorway. Nedley looked at the redhead funny. 

       “With me. _Now_ ,” Shae ordered. Nedley raised his eyebrows at Nicole, who nodded. He walked them towards her and they walked down a hallway to a room. “Can you not last a _month_ without hurting yourself?!” 

       “Apparently not,” she sighed, laying back onto the bed and pulling the rag away from her face. 

       “Nic!” 

       “Don’t call me that,” she snapped, throwing her a glare. Nedley cleared his throat. “Right. Sheriff, Asshole. Asshole, Sheriff.” Shae glared at her, slapping some gloves on. 

       “ _Haught_ ,” he chastised. 

       “Sorry,” she mumbled, shifting back to the woman. “Just fix my face so I can go home, alright?” 

       “Maybe if you’d _shut up_ , I could.” Nicole blinked her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. Shae leaned closer to her face, pushing around the gash, wiping it down with clean gauze. “You smell like booze,” she mumbled. The redhead blew in her face. “ _Dickwad_.” She began to flush the wound with saline or something, Nicole guessed. “What did you even _do_?” 

       “Didn’t you _just_ tell me to shut up?” She asked, tipping her head. Shae shot her a look, looking up to her boss for the answer. 

       “Bar fight,” he confirmed, resting his head on his knuckles, elbow leaning on the arm of his chair.

       She looked back down at her ex, who wasn’t quite meeting her eyes. She stopped flushing her face, pulling her hand away and squinting her eyes at her. “Getting your _boss_ to lie for you now, aye?” She asked with an amused smile.

       Nicole sucked in a breath. “Would you stop being so  _damn_  nosey and just fix my fuckin’ head?!”

       The doctor rolled her eyes, walking over to the cabinet to gather more supplies. “Does Waverly know about this?” She questioned, sticking a needle in her face, numbing the area.

       Nicole clenched her jaw. “ _Shae_!” She barked in a warning tone.

       She put her hands up, setting the needle down. “Sor-ry,” she mumbled. The Officer crossed her arms, looking away from her. She stitched up her face quietly. “14 stitches . . . Gimme your hand.”

       Nicole blinked at her. “Why?”

       “Because I am your doctor and I want to see it,” she informed in an annoyed tone. The redhead grumbled something under her breath, pulling her splint off and propping her hand up on the table in front of her. Shae looked it over. “I’m just gonna take these out now,” she sighed, running her finger along the stitches on her fingers. 

       “Right now?!” 

       “It’s all the way healed, I mise well.”

       Nicole pursed her lips, giving her the go-ahead. She took them all out, looking it over some more. “Can I leave now?” 

       “Doc, would you check her _damn_ head. She smacked it against the ground when she got knocked out,” Nedley grumbled.

       She widened her eyes. “ _Knocked out_?! Why didn’t you tell me that?!” She grabbed her chin, twisting her head, only now recognizing the purple lump on her forehead as something to worry about. 

       “You didn’t ask.” 

       “Yea, let’s hope your _brain_ isn’t bleeding.” She walked out of the room. Nicole groaned deeply. 

       “She’s a bundle of joy,” Nedley grumbled.

       Nicole laughed slightly. “Hard to think I _married_ that at one point,” she slurred.

       He widened his eyes. “ _Oh_.” That explained a lot. 

       Shae returned a few minutes later with another doctor. “You’re getting a CT scan and they’re x-raying your hand.” 

       “Why? I didn’t do anything to it.”

       “If it’s _healed_ , I can take the pins out and you can start physical therapy early,” she informed. The redhead nodded, liking the sound of that. 

       “Let’s get to it!” Nedley clapped, standing up.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole plopped into the front seat of Nedley’s car with a yawn. She moved her wrist around, not yet used to being able to do so. She had been diagnosed with a mild concussion, _but_ the good news was that her hand had healed all the way (quicker than normal, Shae had said) so she got both pins taken out and had her first therapy appointment scheduled for the next week. She was able to move all her fingers but could tell it was different than before. And they were still _very_ stiff. “I’m coming to work tomorrow,” she informed when he got in the car. 

       “3 days, Haught. Doctor’s orders.”

       “Nedley. I’m coming to work tomorrow,” she repeated. “Please.” Her voice broke at the end. She knew she needed something to occupy her brain. She couldn’t handle having nothing to do all day long, letting her thoughts being able to rule her.

       He looked at her pleading eyes. “Fine. You’re off Active Duty, though.”

       She nodded, swallowing the lump crawling up her throat. “Thank you,” she mumbled. He smiled, pulling out of the parking lot. 

       Sheriff Nedley parked his car besides Nicole’s house and she gathered their trash from the burger joint they had stopped at on the way home. He got out of the car. She climbed out after, cocking her eyebrow at him. “What?” 

       “What?” He asked. 

       “I dunno, you got out of the car.”

       He chuckled. “Am I not allowed to?” 

       “I- I don’t know,” she laughed. 

       “I want to make sure you don’t fall and bust you ass getting in the house,” he joked. “And I could _maybe_ pay a visit to that cat of yours.”

       She shook her head with a smile, fumbling the key around on the lock, pushing the door open. “She doesn’t like men.” 

       “Well, she likes me,” he beamed, looking down at the orange feline purring up against his legs.

       She scoffed, watching him coo to her, bending down and stroking along her back. “I don't get it, she barely lets me pet her. She really likes something about you and Wave- . . . rly . . .” A bullet struck her in the heart hearing her name come out of her mouth.

       Nedley stood up, walking slowly over to her. He stopped in front of her, tilting her chin up so she met his eyes. “Nicole.” A tear rolled out of her eye. She was desperately trying to keep it together in front of him, but the softness of his eyes broke her walls down. She shook her head, letting it all out, stepping forward and clutching her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. 

       “I really fucked up, Randy,” she whispered.

       He hugged his arms tighter around her shaking body. “No you didn’t, quit. She’s going to forgive you.”

       She balled up the back of his uniform in her fists. “She won’t. Sh-she hates me now.”

       “No she does not. You know that.”

       “You heard her, she doesn’t even want to talk to me!”

       He sighed, pulling back, placing his hands on her shoulders. “The first thing she asked me was if you were ok, Nicole. That girl does _not_ hate you.”

       “She did?” She sniffled.

       He nodded. “Just because she isn’t ready to talk with you does _not_ mean she hates you. She needs time to work everything out. And she probably thinks you aren’t the happiest with her at the moment anyway.” 

       “I’m not . . .” She mumbled. 

       “See . . . You two are gonna last, I can already tell. But, even the happiest people fight. Give it time. Give _her_ time. Let her work herself out and then she’ll come to you.” 

       “But what if she doesn’t?” She asked, worry on her face.

       He gave her a smile. “Haught, I’ve seen how she looks at you. She’ll come back, I can guarantee you that.”

       She nodded, wiping her eye with her hand, other being too sore to even bother trying to. “Ok . . . Ok, that makes me feel a little bit better.” She hugged the man again, a little less forcefully this time. 

       “You’ll be ok, I promise. Try and get some sleep tonight, that’s an order.” He pat her back and she pulled away with a laugh. 

       “Yes, Sir . . . Thank you.”

       “You don’t have to thank me for everything, ya know,” he informed.

       She smiled, deciding whether or not to ask the question she had been wanting to for a while now. “Why . . . Why’re you always so nice to me? Nicer than you are to the other Deputies?”

       He shrugged, hooking his thumbs on his belt and turning for the door. “You’re special, Haught. I knew that from the day I met you.” He reached over, petting the cat on a shelf by the door.

       She smiled at him, hearing the sincerity in his voice. “Night, Sheriff,” she nodded.

       He tipped his hat at her, opening the door. “G’night, Nicole.” It wasn’t until she heard his car pull away that she moved from her position leaning against the wall, swaying towards her room, somehow managing to change into some nightclothes. She cleared a spot on her bed, pushing her uniform and utility belt that she had thrown onto it earlier to the side, crawling onto it. 

       She tried to fall asleep, but her head was refusing to shut up. The pain from her concussion and shiner was one thing, but the thoughts racking around were a whole different story. She sighed, figuring she’d have to pick up an energy drink or two tomorrow morning.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly’s alarm went off, not that she needed it, though. She turned it off after one beep, having been awake the whole eight hours she was supposed to be sleeping. She crawled out of bed, grabbing her work clothes and slumping off to shower and get ready for her shift. 

       After she was all ready, she walked downstairs, seeing a pot of coffee already made, most likely by Gus. She poured a travel mug full, adding 10 pounds of sugar in hopes it would sweeten her mood up a little. She looked towards the steps, hearing feet coming down. She groaned internally, seeing Wynonna. “Morning, Waves,” she mumbled.

       Waverly walked past her, not even meeting her eyes. She walked out the front door, spotting Gus along the front of the house planting flowers. “I’m goin’ to work,” she said quietly behind her.

       The older woman stood, brushing her knees off. She saw the bags under her eyes and the frown pasted on her face, but she wasn’t going to push her anymore. How she handled the situation was her choice in the long run. “Alright, Sweetie, have a good day.” She gave her a kiss on the forehead. 

       “You, too,” she said with the best smile she could manage. Waverly headed off to Shorty’s, hoping no one tried to test her patience today. 

 

**___**

 

       At 4 AM, Nicole got tired of twisting and turning in bed. She changed into her workout clothes, downed a random 5 Hour Energy that she found in her cabinet, and headed upstairs to her gym. 

       She ran for a good two hours, music pumping through her ears. Was it making her head throb? Obviously. Did she care? Not at all. When she grabbed her water bottle once, she noticed that she grabbed it with her right hand, reminding her that she was _somewhat_ able to use it now. She smirked, turning off the treadmill, walking over to her bench press and loading the bar up with the weights. She hadn’t been able to properly work out her arms in nearly a month and she could see the difference it had made. She spent about an hour doing different intervals, starting at 90 lbs, working her way up to 150 lbs. After she got bored with that, she moved over to her dumbbells, doing some curl-ups. When she felt her hand start to strain, she figured it was time to stop before she screwed it up. Checking her phone, it was almost 8 o’clock, so she went downstairs and showered, getting dressed in her uniform and heading out of her house. She picked up a pack of Monster from the gas station and drove to work, her shift starting at 9 o’clock. 

       Her eye looked . . . as expected. It was very red and swollen, only just starting to form the purple bruise around her eye. Her cheekbone looked like it stuck out an extra inch from all the swelling around her stitches. The side of her forehead had a bruised goose egg that felt like it hurt when she _hovered_ her finger above it. She closed the visor mirror, climbing out of her car and walking into the building. “Haught!” Nedley called from his office. She hadn’t even walked past his door, so she had no clue how he knew she had arrived.

       She set the case down outside of his door, walking into his office. “Yes?” 

       “You want something to do today that’s not paperwork?” He asked, a small smirk teasing his lips.

       She narrowed her eyes jokingly at him. “Do I?”

       He stood, walking around his desk and out his door. “Follow me!” He smiled. 

       “Hold your horses, I just got here!” She picked the case up, walking to her office. She walked over to her desk, seeing her blue hoodie splayed out across it, half the things on her desk either knocked over or on the floor. She bit the side of her cheek, picking it up, running her thumb over it. She shoved the case of energy drinks in her bottom drawer, pulling one of the cans out and walking over to her coat rack, hanging the hoodie up and meeting Nedley back outside his office. “Ok, let’s go.” He walked them down a hallway, down some stairs and to a room she had never been in before. 

       “This . . .” He flicked the light on. “Is the Evidence Room.”

       She already had a feeling of what he wanted her to do, seeing the state of it. There were random boxes on the floor and tables instead of on the shelves. “Do I get to organize everything?” She asked, looking towards him and taking a drink. 

       “Only if you want to.”

       She thought it over, slowly nodding after a few seconds. “I’ve got nothing better to do,” she shrugged.

       He clapped her shoulder. “Have fun! Come find me if you’ve got any questions.” She nodded, giving him a small smile as he walked out. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, pushing her earbuds into her ears and getting to work. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The brunette put out her best smile and wave for the customers. The sugar in her coffee had _not surprisingly_ failed to lighten up her mood. She was still trying to be optimistic, though, keeping herself busy at all times, not wanting to let herself focus on the bad.

       “Hey, Wave?” Rosita called. 

       “Yea?” She answered, wiping down the opposite side of the bar where someone had spilled their drink. 

       “Can you give me a hand?”

       She turned around, seeing her carry a box of new liquor over to the shelf. “Give me a second,” she mumbled. She finished cleaning up the mess, wiping her hands off on her pants, and knelt down next to her to help stock. “Why didn’t someone do this _before_ we opened this morning?”

       Rosita looked over to her with a cocked eyebrow at the snarky comment. “You ok?” She asked softly, touching her arm.

       Waverly looked from the hand on her arm to her face, mouth coming open slightly. “Y-Yea, I’m fine,” she assured, continuing with what she was doing. 

       “Are you sure? You seem kinda upset today.”

       Waverly pushed herself off the floor, having put the last bottle up. “I’m fine, Rosita.” The woman still kneeling had a hurt look on her face from her snappiness. 

       “Waves?”

       She sucked in a deep breath, ignoring the voice coming from behind her for the second time that day. She grabbed her purse from under the bar. “Figure out what Wynonna wants. I’m going to the bathroom.” She nodded, standing up and walking over to the older Earp sat at the bar. Shorty and Nedley had agreed to let her use the station’s bathroom whenever she needed to. It was only like 5 minutes from Shorty’s. She stomped out of the bar and got into her Jeep, letting out a puff of air. She started the car, pulling away. 

       When she walked out of the bathroom, she saw the back of the redhead as she threw two black cans away in a trashcan. A storm of anger bubbled up in her. She smacked the light off and marched over, swinging the Sheriff’s door open, slamming it behind her. 

       Nicole spun around quickly at the noise, smacking her hand on her holster. She saw there was no commotion in the pit so she cocked an eyebrow, wondering which door slammed. 

       “Nedley!” The Sheriff ripped his glasses off his face, looking up at the girl and standing up. 

       “What?! What’s wrong!?”

       Waverly sat in front of his desk, crossing her arms. She sputtered a few sounds before taking a breath, closing her eyes. “What’d the doctor say?” She mumbled quietly.

       He pursed his lips, sitting back down, scooting his chair in. “She got 14 stitches in her cheek and the scan showed a mild concussion.”

       Her eyes widened. “ _Stitches_?” 

       “Wynonna’s ring ripped a gash open,” he informed.

       She shook her head around. “Ok. Next question.” She raised her voice, “Why are you letting her work with a _concussion_?!” Nedley looked behind her, seeing Nicole staring into his office from the door, slack-jawed. The brunette looked at him weirdly, turning around to see what he was looking at. She saw nothing.

       Nicole crouched down behind the door when she saw Waverly’s head start to turn. Looking like a creepy stalker girlfriend _probably_ wouldn’t be helpful right now. She walked on her knees past the door and window, standing up and rushing back downstairs. 

       Nedley let out a sigh. “It’s not my place to poke around in ya’lls business. You know that, I know that, Nicole knows that . . . _But_. This isn’t just her job. It’s her life. She’s the most dedicated Deputy I’ve ever had. And I _will_ agree with you. Sometimes she pushes herself too far. Does more than she can handle. Hell, she worked a 30-hour shift one time because we were struggling with a case. I get on her ass when I see her in here at 4 AM when her shift ended at 10 the night before . . . She reminds me of myself. That’s how I was. Your father hated it.” He took in a breath, leaning back in his chair. “Keep your mouth shut about this because I don’t want her to have a heart attack just yet. Not everything is set in place. But . . . When I decide to throw in the towel, she's taking over as Sheriff.”

       The brunette’s jaw dropped. “Nicole as _Sheriff_?” She asked breathlessly. 

       “Yes.” 

       “ _Nicole Haught_?”

       “Yes, that very one.” 

       “ _My_ Nicole?” 

       “Yes, Waverly. Her.”

       She grinned widely. “Really?” 

       “Who else would I pick? Lonnie?” 

       “That’s fair . . .”

       He nodded. “You didn’t hear this from me, but trust me when I tell you that she _is_ sorry.”

       Her smile turned to a snarl again. “Well, she should have thought about that _before_ she decided to be an ass.” 

       “She realizes that,” he assured. 

       “She better,” she mumbled under her breath. “I’ve got to get back to work.” She stood up, heading for the door, turning back and tapping her fingers along the doorframe. “Thanks, Sheriff,” she said, mustering up a smile. 

       “Anytime, Waverly.” She left with a small wave, heading back to Shorty’s. She still had a lot to think about. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The rest of the day for the girls rolled by, Wynonna continuing to be ignored by Waverly, Nicole organizing the whole Evidence Room. Their nights had been the same as the previous: Waverly sobbing into her pillow for an hour or two, Gus having to come and calm her down again. And Nicole breaking down after finding the weird veggie straw chips she kept in the house for a certain brunette. 

       Neither of them slept well again. Nicole had a 3 AM shift anyway, so she was able to distract herself. Waverly, on the other hand, didn’t have to work until 7 that night. She got out of bed at 6 AM, walking downstairs and wrapping herself in a quilt, playing some music and opening up the book she had been reading. 

       If distraction was what she was looking for, she got it. “Waverly, Dear, will you eat something, please?” Gus asked.

       She looked up at her from her book, rubbing her eyes. “I ate breakfast already,” she mumbled. That was a lie.

       “Hun, it’s _2 PM_.” Her eyes widened. She hadn’t realized how much time had passed. 

       “Oh . . . I’m not hungry.” She looked back down to her book.

       Gus pursed her lips at her. “Ook,” she sighed. “Let me know if you want me to make you something.” 

       “Mm.” Gus shook her head glumly, starting a sink of dishwater. The brunette slowly lifted her eyes from her book, hearing the beginning chords of Thinking Out Loud play from her phone. She flicked the blanket around, trying to find it to change the song. Still not knowing where it was, she jumped up off the couch, laying on her stomach, feeling around under the couch for it. She felt a piece of paper, so she pulled it out to examine it. Her heart jumped up to her throat. 

       It was the contact card Nicole gave her when they first met. 

       She pushed her back against the couch, holding it in both of her hands, looking down at it. A movie reel of memories rolled through her head. She was reminded of all the beautiful things about the redhead that she had been ignoring and the wall of stubbornness she had built up crumbled. She dropped her head, closing her eyes and choking out a sob. Gus spun around. “Waverly?”

       She looked up at her. “I- I’ve got something I need to do.”

       The older woman smiled. “Do what you need to do.”

       She nodded, fumbling her hand around under the couch again, finding her phone. Gus tossed her the keys and she left out the door, climbing in her Jeep, trying to calm her breathing. She opened her phone shakily, looking at the family tracker app she and Nicole shared. She put the car in drive and directed it out of the driveway.

**___**

 

       Nicole decided it would probably be smart to clean up their mess from the party as soon as possible, so after work, she headed straight there. She plugged her earbuds in, blasted some music, and started picking up bottles, shoving them into a trash bag. 

       She was by the couch when she felt a hand touch her arm. Her heart stopped. The redhead dropped the bag, pulling her gun out of the holster as she spun around, grabbing the _thought-to-be_ intruder by the throat and shoving the gun against their chest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no


	40. To Infinity And Beyond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole has an unexpected visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK IDK WHY I HAVEN'T MENTIONED IT I KEPT FORGETTING BUT SEASON 4 YALL IM SO FLIPPING EXCITED OMG  
> WE'RE GETTING ALL OF OUR BABIES BACK  
> I really don't think 2020 can come any faster!
> 
> Anywho, sorry for that cliffhanger, here's this one!

       Waverly gasped, eyes popping out of her head from shock, wrapping both of her hands around the arm gripping her neck. Nicole was now just as horrified as she was. She quickly let her go, shoving the gun back into her holster. 

       “ _OhmyGodWave,_ ” She breathed, eyes still bulging. She pulled her earbuds out and began to back away from her. “I-I-I didn’t-” The brunette launched herself at her, squeezing her arms around her middle, letting the sobs break free. The Officer slowly brought herself back to reality, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl tightly and tilting her head, resting her good cheek on her shoulder. She began to cry just as much, if not harder than Waverly. 

       “I’m so sorry,” the brunette bawled. 

       “I’m sorry-er,” Nicole croaked.

       Waverly pulled away, meeting her eyes. It was only now that she took in the damage on her face. “Oh my God!” She cried, cupping the bottom of her jaw. “I’m going to rip her eyes out, see how she likes it.”

       Nicole swallowed, shaking her head. “No . . . I deserved it.” 

       “Why in the world would you deserve this?” She asked softly. 

       “Cause I hurt you,” she mumbled. The look of shame on her face made Waverly cry harder. 

       “Yea, well, I shouldn’t have been a bitch in the first place. I had no right to try and tell you what to do.”

       “That doesn’t matter. I should have never yelled at you like that no matter _what_ you said . . . an-and I-I’m so s-sorry. I don’t know wh-what I was thinking.” She covered her face with her hands. “I made you c-cry and then I just l-left.” She dropped her arms back to her sides. “Who does that?!”

       Waverly grabbed her hands, pulling her to sit down on the couch. They sat criss-cross in front of one another. “I’m not mad anymore, ok?” The redhead furrowed her brows. “I’m the one who screwed up. You had every right to get pissed at me. It’s your life, your job. It doesn’t matter what I think. I’m not the boss of you, and I’m sorry I try to be sometimes. I’m still getting used to being with somebody who doesn’t have the mentality of a 14-year-old. But that’s no excuse for me trying to tell you what you can and cannot do cause . . . that- that’s not right. I’m just . . . really, _really_ sorry. I promise I’ll never do it again.”

       Nicole smiled, squeezing her hands. “I forgive you. But . . . I thought you were pissed at me? Like, really pissed.”

       Waverly laughed a little. “I was, trust me.” She pulled the card out of her pocket. “But then I found this, and I realized it was stupid because life’s too short and I love you too much.”

       Nicole took the card, looking down at it with a smile. “Do you know how _nervous_ I was when we first met?” She asked, tapping the card on her hand. 

       “You were nervous?!” She gasped, leaning forward onto her palms with a wide smile, resting her elbows on the sides of her knees. “You seemed so confident!”

       She snorted. “Yea, no, not at all. I remember . . .”

 

**-  -  -**

 

       Officer Haught was sitting in a parking lot radaring cars. She had been there watching them drive passed for about 2 hours and was about to call it a day and head up to Shorty’s. Her boss had recommended earlier that she go get a feel for the bar because she would _surely_ be making quite a few visits there in the future. She shifted the car out of park and began to pull closer to the exit, noticing that the red Jeep that stopped at a stop sign about 20 yards up the road had a tail light out. She smirked, pulling out in its direction. Why not go bother someone about a little offense? She had nothing better to do, after all. Nicole pressed on the gas a little bit to catch up to the car and once she reached a reasonable distance behind it, she flicked her lights on. The car immediately slowed down, pulling off to the side of the road. She climbed out of her cruiser, removing her Stetson, and smoothed back her hair as she walked up to the car. The window rolled down and a pair of scared hazel eyes met her’s. The woman’s voice trembled as she greeted her. She wasn’t sure if she was scared of her or if she was scared because she was hiding something. 

       “Hello, Ma’am. It's a nice evening isn’t it?” She hoped that when she looked away, the brunette hadn’t caught her swallowing the nerves in her throat. She had seen her fair share of beautiful women, but this girl. This girl was a whole new kind of beautiful. She looked back to the woman, heart thumping in her throat as she subliminally traced her eyes over every aspect of her face. The brunette began to try and explain herself, sputtering 10 words a second. Nicole furrowed her brow at her, now feeling like the biggest asshole on the planet. It’s always a great first impression to make the girl _cry_. She placed her hand on top of her’s in hopes to calm her down, but a spark flew through her as the girl looked down at their hands, mouth slowly falling open. Officer Haught informed her in a soft voice the real reason of why she had pulled her over, instantly watching her body relax. She didn’t want to be a weirdo, so she pulled her hand away, tucking her thumbs in her belt, a habit she had picked up when she joined the force. Before she could realize it, she had a killer smile plastered across her face. But she went with it. If she was reading her right, she seemed to be the slightest bit interested in her. And she didn’t like to be a humblebrag, _but_ her Gaydar was usually _at least_ 98% accurate. “I’ll still need to see your license and registration, though. It's protocol.”

       The brunette fumbled around with her things, obviously at a loss for words for a few seconds. “Oh, right. I, uh, I didn’t realize that it burned out. Sorry I went on a tangent. It's usually my sister having to deal with the police. I just got scared there for a second.” The giggle that escaped her lips made Nicole’s heart flutter.

       She took her cards and tipped her hat, walking back to her cruiser, totally _not_ swaggering her walk _even_ the slightest bit. “ _HolyshitHolyshitHolyshitHolyshitHolyshitHolyshit_ ,” she sputtered quietly the whole way back. She sat down in her seat and took a look at her driver’s license.

       Her heart plummeted. 

       Waverly Earp. 

       She’d heard the name quite a few times. Mostly hearing how _nice_ she was to everyone, even winning some type of an award for it or something. She slumped down in her seat. Maybe she _was_ just being nice. Well, there was no better way to find out than to push it a little bit. 

       After clearing everything, she walked back to the car, instantly reminded of just how _gorgeous_ this girl was. “Well, everything checks out,” she reported with another deadly smile, handing her back her cards. She leaned slightly sideways against the door, crossing her ankles. “I didn’t realize I was speaking to an Earp. It's my pleasure.” She tipped her hat, knowing damn well that she was using her southern drawl to an advantage here.

       A blush covered the brunette’s cheeks above a happy smile. “Oh, Officer, I’m not _royalty_ . I’m just Waverly . . . I don't think I caught your name, you seem to be new around here.”

        _Shit_. Of course she hadn’t introduced herself. She rambled slightly about how she was new but stopped herself before she could get any farther. She knew she was new already. _Get it together, Haught._  

       “I’m Officer Haught. Nicole Haught.” She offered up a handshake. She had to hold a sigh in as she watched her bite her bottom lip ever so slightly as she shook her hand. She knew if she stood here for much longer she would end up saying something really embarrassing, so she stood back up straight, informing her she had to head to Shorty’s. 

       “I’ll see you around, _Officer Haught._ ”

       Nicole gulped. If this girl _was_ straight, she was being very, _very_ mean. _Shoot your fricking shot_. “See you later, Waverly. Maybe I'll see you at Shorty’s soon and you can buy me a drink.” She gave Waverly a wink and a smile, handing her one of her police contact cards. She watched the girl’s pupils dilate after the wink. She swaggered away again, this time with a smirk on her face, and climbed in her car, waiting until the Jeep pulled away to have a mini-celebration. 

 

**-  -  -**

 

       “You’re such a _dork_ ,” Waverly sighed. 

       “Hey! It worked, didn’t it?” She laughed, looking down, seeing that both of their hands had connected sometime throughout the story. Waverly flipped her right hand over, seeing that there were no stitches and that there were bandaids over the two places where the pins came out. Nicole squeezed her hand, Waverly looking back up at her with a confused face. “Shae found me and Nedley in the waiting room, so she’s the one who stitched my face up. Said it was healed all the way, so I got the stitches and pins taken out. I start physical therapy next week.”

       Waverly smiled widely, still not used to being able to hold both of her hands. “That’s great, Nic!” She giggled with a nod, tugging on her hands and laying back, pulling her to lay on top of her. Waverly sighed against her neck. “I missed you,” she mumbled, rubbing her thumb on her upper arm as she curled them around her. 

       “I missed you, too,” she agreed, taking in the calming scent of her hair. 

       “How about we _never_ do that again?” 

       “Yep. I 11 out of 10 did _not_ enjoy that,” she answered quickly. 

       “From now on, when we have problems or we disagree about something, we’re going to talk it out, key-word _talk_.” 

       “I’m sorry,” the redhead mumbled in a whisper, hugging her arms around her like she was going to float away.

       “Quit apologizing, it’s ok,” Waverly soothed.  

       “It’s really not, though.” 

       “You’re acting like I didn’t yell at you first, Baby. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

       Nicole swallowed. “I _left_ you when you started crying. I was _an_ _asshole_.”

       The brunette groaned. “Ok, fine. Maybe we both were in the wrong at some points.” 

       The Officer laughed a little. “Whatever helps you sleep at night,” she sighed. 

       “Sleep? What’s that?”

       Nicole sat up a bit, Waverly moving her head to make eye contact. The redhead saw the heavy bags under her eyes and the way her eyelids were drooping down. “When’s the last time you slept, Love?” She asked softly, pushing her hand through her hair.

       “Here,” she mumbled.

       Nicole realized she was talking about the party. “Wave . . .”

       She tipped her head. “You don’t look so hot yourself. When did _you_ sleep last?” 

       She looked away, laying back down. “Also here,” she mumbled. “I’ve had eight Monsters in the past two days.”

       The shorter girl tutted. “You realize how _horrible_ those things are for you, right?” 

       “Yea, yea.” She kissed the top of her head. “How about we go to the Homestead and sleep?” 

       “Wynonna’s there."

       “And?” 

       “ _And_ I’ve been ignoring her since I found out she hurt you.”

       “Why?” 

       “Because! She had no right to do that!”

       The Officer sat them up, pushing the younger girl’s legs behind her. “How about this . . .” She gave her an idea of what they should do to get her back. 

       “I like the sound of that,” she smirked. Nicole nodded with an evil grin. Waverly’s smirk faded as she glanced from her eyes to her lips. She looked back to her eyes, seeing the same sense of hunger. Nicole brought her hands to her cheeks, bringing their lips together for a long, heartfelt kiss. The brunette wrapped her arms around her neck, leaning backward, the redhead going down with her. She hooked her legs tighter around her back, pulling her body closer. Time slowed down as they found themselves within each other again. All the pain and heartache from the past two days disappeared. They each felt whole again. 

       The kisses slowed down after a few minutes, both of their bodies heaving in and out. Nicole pulled away, ending it with a short, chaste kiss. “I love you, Waverly Earp.” 

       “To infinity and beyond,” she smiled. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

**Babygirl: Come down here**

**Nonna: Y**

**Babygirl: I want to talk to u**

**Nonna: U mean scream at me?**

**Babygirl: Wynonna**

**Babygirl: Just come down here**

 

       Waverly was sitting on one end of the couch. She looked behind her, hearing feet coming down the stairs. Wynonna stopped at the bottom, looking at her with sorry eyes. “ _Come here_ ,” she complained. The older girl slowly walked over, stopping about 4 feet behind her. “Would you sit down, Jesus Christ!” She sulked over, sitting on the opposite side, pulling her feet in so she was as far away from her as possible. They stared at each other for a few seconds. “You’ve wanted to talk to me. So do it. What do you want to say?”

       Wynonna picked at her fingers, now not making eye contact with her. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

       Waverly raised her eyebrows. “For what? You’ve done a lot of things.” 

       “For punching Nicole.” 

       “Ok. And?”

       “For giving her a concussion.”

       “And?”

       “For threatening her.” 

       “ _And_?”

       “For pointing Peacemaker at her.” 

       “You’re missing the big one, Sis,” Waverly sighed. Wynonna looked up at her, not really sure of what else she had done. “It’s something you’ve done before. Something you _always_ do.” 

       “I . . . I dunno, shoving her up against the wall?”

       Waverly threw her a glare. “ _No_.” 

       “I don’t know, Waves! What!?”  

       “Every _single_ time you hear about something that has to do with me, you involve yourself. You and Nicole have gotten into _three fights_ because _you_ don’t know how to let me fight my _own damn battles_!”

       “Four actually . . .” Wynonna corrected quietly. 

       “What?” She asked, going off-script. 

       “When I caught you two being gross in Nedley’s office, that time in _her_ office, the other day . . . and when you passed out at Shorty’s, she went a little coo-coo on me.”

       The shorter girl sighed deeply. “Ok. So, three out of the four fights you have been in, you have started. Is that better?” Wynonna nodded shyly. “Do you know how _annoying_ that is, Wynonna!? Do you know how _helpless_ that makes me feel!? I mean, why should I try to fix our problems at all? You’re just going to jump in and try and do it for me! I am _20 years old_ , Wynonna. Let me handle myself. My whole life I’ve been treated like a baby and I’m sick and tired of it. If I want you to get involved, I’ll ask you, but from now on, stay out of Nicole and I’s business. Can you handle that?”

       Wynonna swallowed a lump in her throat. “Yea,” she answered softly. 

       “Good. Cause you know what’s going to happen _next_ time you try and poke your nose in?” Waverly asked, raising her eyebrows at her. 

       Little did Wynonna know, Nicole had been sitting on the floor behind the arm of the couch she was leaning against the whole time. And she had just heard her cue. She jumped up and yanked her head back by her hair, hovering her face above her’s. Wynonna let out a high-pitched scream. “ _I’m gonna give you a taste of your own medicine_ ,” she growled with a devilish smirk on her face. The look of terror on the older Earp’s face was _priceless_. The Officer let out a snort, letting go of her hair and looking up to her girlfriend, who was already laughing her ass off. 

       “WHAT THE HELL?!?!?” Wynonna demanded, darting her eyes between them as she stood up off the couch.

       Nicole fell backward onto it, her head landing near Waverly’s feet as she clutched her stomach, loud belly laughs escaping from both of their mouths. “You’re face!” She wailed. 

       “YOU SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME!”

       Waverly rolled to the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’ve never heard you scream like that!”

       Wynonna crossed her arms with a pout. “You two are shitheads,” she mumbled.

       “No . . . we are _hilarious_.” Nicole rolled to the floor and rested her head on Waverly’s stomach. 

       "And you deserved it," the smaller girl added.

       “If you tell anyone about this, you’re _dead_ ,” Wynonna warned, pointing at both of them. 

       “Were you not listening? You’re not allowed to threaten me anymore, Earp,” Nicole said with a sad puppy face.

       Wynonna rolled her eyes, mimicking the look. “ _I’m glad you two are done fighting_ ,” she grumbled, leaving to go back upstairs.

       Nicole chuckled, standing up. “Beautiful work, Ba- _Shit_.” She stumbled back, falling onto the couch, pressing her hand to the side of her head. 

       The brunette sat up, pulling herself onto the couch next to her. “Hey, what was that all about?” She asked, curling her fingers around her elbow. 

       “I get dizzy when I stand sometimes now,” she mumbled, turning her body slowly and laying back, propping a throw pillow behind her head. “Side effect or whatever.”  

       “Do you need anything?” She asked, rubbing her hand on her knee. 

       “Sleep,” she muttered.

       The brunette laughed a little, a yawn creeping up on her. “Great idea,” she said through it, setting an alarm for work and scooting up, resting her head on the redhead’s chest. 

       “Mm.” She wrapped her arms around her tightly, kissing the top of her head. Within 3 minutes, they were both out cold. 

       Gus returned home from grocery shopping a few hours later, lugging an armful of bags through the door. She stopped midway to the kitchen, looking down at the two girls. Nicole was still hugging Waverly tight and the brunette had the top of her uniform balled up in her hand. She set the bags down, walking back over to them with a smile on her face. She covered them up with a blanket, wiping a happy tear from her face. It felt like a weight was lifted from her shoulders. Seeing Waverly so upset recently took a toll on her and she knew now she wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       2 days later was their one month anniversary. Waverly woke up, knowing Nicole had already left for work earlier in the morning. She stretched, feeling around on the nightstand for her phone. When she opened it, she saw an email in her notifications. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole pushed her hand through her hair, clicking around on her computer. She heard a knock on her open door. She looked up, seeing her girlfriend with a huge smile on her face leaning against the door frame. “Well, good morning, My Love,” she smiled, leaning back in her chair and clasping her hands in front of her. The brunette bounced into the room and hopped up onto the corner of her desk. She slid a sheet of paper in front of her. Nicole cocked an eyebrow, picking it up and turning it over, reading the front. She snapped her head up with a wide smile. “You got in!?” 

       “I got in!!” She exclaimed.

       Nicole jumped up from her chair, pulling her off the desk into a hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning around. “AHHHHHHH, MY BABY’S GONNA BE A TEACHER!!!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the weird ending. 
> 
> I had to decide whether to end with that or lead off with it in the next one and I think it would have been weirder to do it in the next one. 
> 
> But hey, WayHaught's done fighting! S'all good now!


	41. I Feel a Challenge Coming On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly takes Nicole somewhere she knows she'll love, but they end doing something they never would have thought of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's like 9 A.M I literally have no idea what to say, so here's this one!

       The next 3 months for the squad were rather busy. Wynonna and Dolls were tracking down Revenants left and right. Nicole had physical therapy at least once a week _and_ one of the Deputies was out on paternity leave, so she was working more hours than usual. Waverly’s days were spent either researching things that had to do with the curse or working on her schooling. She was already two months ahead in her college work than the normal person would be. And if she wasn’t doing _either_ of those things, she was at Shorty’s. 

       The first day of summer rolled around and it was the first time in a _long_ time that neither she or Nicole had to work. And Waverly thought up the _perfect_ idea. 

 

**Waves 🌊 💛: R u awake?**

**Nic ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙: Now I am** 😐

 **Waves 🌊 💛: Sorry** 😬

**Waves 🌊 💛: Wyd today?**

**Nic ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙: I have a strange feeling that I am going to be hanging out with u**

**Waves 🌊 💛: Good answer. Get ready, I’ll be there in an hour**

**Waves 🌊 💛: PS: you might want to wear workout clothes 😏**

**Nic ❤ 💙 ❤ 💙: Oh no**

**Waves 🌊 💛: Oh yes**

       Waverly giggled, setting her phone down as she grabbed a towel, jumping in the shower. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole was brushing her teeth half-dressed when she heard a knock at the door. She knew it was Waverly because she knocked the same beat every time she came over. She checked her phone, cocking an eyebrow as she walked to the door, unlocking it and opening it.

       There she stood with hair in braids, dressed in a tight cut off tank top and some colorful leggings. “You’re certainly ready,” she laughed, walking in and kissing her cheek. 

       “It’s only been 35 minutes!” She said around the toothbrush dangling out of her mouth. They walked back towards the bathroom so she could finish getting ready. 

       “I just really wanted to see you,” she admitted, standing behind her and reaching around her waist, sticking her thumbs under the hem of her shorts. “It’s been a whole _3_ _days_.”

       Nicole bent forward, rinsing her mouth out before turning around and leaning back onto the counter. “If I remember correctly, _you_ are the one who had the _super big and scary_ test to study for that called for _absolutely no_ distractions,” she teased. 

       “Mm.” She ran her hand down her exposed abs. “ _Well_ , now you may distract me as much as you please.”

       Nicole chuckled lowly, abruptly turning them around, ripping her leggings down and picking her up by the hips, setting her on the counter. Waverly gasped at the sudden action. “ _I sure do please_ ,” she husked, connecting their lips. Waverly moaned, tipping her head back as her hand _definitely_ began to distract her. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       They left Nicole’s house a little later that Waverly had hoped to, but was she mad? _Absolutely_ _not_. “Where are we going?” Nicole asked for the third time that drive. 

       “You’ll see,” Waverly answered . . . for the third time. The redhead groaned loudly. “Patience, Honey,” she smiled. She rolled her head across the headrest to throw her a look. 

       The brunette pulled into a parking lot a few minutes later, Nicole bending her head to read the sign on the building. Her eyes went wide. “Is this a . . .” 

       “Mhm,” Waverly smirked.

       A smile almost tore her face in half. “Oh, I love you,” she muttered, sliding out of the car. Nicole had been talking about her past as a catcher a lot lately, so Waverly decided she wanted to see it for herself. That’s why they were walking, _practically_ running with the speed Nicole was going, into an indoor training facility. When they got inside, they saw the multiple batting cages, an infield, and other areas for different training purposes. The Officer giggled, rubbing her hands together as she looked around with bright eyes. 

       “Are you excited?” Waverly asked, clearly already knowing the answer. 

       “ _Hell_ yes!” She exclaimed. They walked up to the front desk, finding a familiar face behind the counter. “Hey, Topher!” 

       “Hey, guys!” 

       “I didn’t know you worked here,” the brunette said, leaning forward onto the desk. 

       “I don’t . . . I volunteer sometimes. Give kids lessons, help out with pitching and catching to whoever needs it. I played all throughout school and never really gave it up,” he shrugged.

       They both nodded. “This one wants to show off so . . .” Waverly nudged Nicole with her elbow. 

       “Oh, you know I am,” she smirked, throwing her a wink.

       Topher laughed, walking around to their side. “Let’s go get your equipment.” The man led them to a room in the back.

       Nicole sorted through a container of gloves, handing one to the brunette. She slipped it onto her hand, opening and closing her fingers a few times with a giggle. “Does it fit?” Nicole asked with an amused smile. 

       “I think so?”

       She grabbed her hand, looking it over. “Good enough,” she confirmed, moving to a different bucket, finding herself a catcher’s mitt. She put one on, punching the center a few times. 

       “What’s the difference?” Waverly asked, cocking her head. 

       “The catcher’s mitt has more padding and funnels inward to help catch pitches better,” she informed over her shoulder, reaching down into a tub and picking up four baseballs, shoving two in each pocket. She grabbed another bucket that was filled with them, setting the mitt on top. 

       “Ah.”

       The redhead flipped her snapback around, dropping a mask over her head, making sure it fit her. “Ready?” She asked, taking it off and holding it in her free hand. 

       “Uh-huh!” She followed them out. “What are we going to be doing exactly?” 

       “Playing catch,” she informed with a smile.

       Topher led them to a bullpen-esk area. “You two have fun! Come find me if you need anything!” He walked off with a wave.

       The redhead put the mask on Waverly and grabbed her by the shoulders, walking her back a few steps. “Stay,” she smiled. She walked about 20 feet away from her. “We’re gonna see if you can catch it in your glove, alright?” 

       “I’ve never done that.”

       Nicole pulled one of the balls out of her pocket. “It’s ok. I’m gonna teach you. It’s just the same if you were going to catch it with your actual hand . . . kinda.” 

       “Ok . . . Don’t throw it hard,” she begged nervously. Nicole laughed lightly, rolling the ball against her hip. “Nic, seriously.” She smirked, drawing her arm back sharply, pretending to chuck it at her. Waverly flinched, covering her face with her hands. “Don’tttt!” She whined, dropping her hands when she heard her laughing. 

       “Baby, do you _really_ think I’d do that?”

       “No,” she mumbled.

       The Officer shook her head with a smile. “Ok . . . Ready?”

       She nodded. Nicole lightly tossed it underhand and she caught it easily. “That’s not bad,” she affirmed, juggling the ball in her hand a few times. 

       “Told ya.” 

       “Can I throw it hard?!” Sbe asked with an excited smile. 

       “If you don’t aim for my _face_.”

       She giggled. “I dunno, I just might.” Nicole gave her a warning look. “Ok, ok, I’ll be nice!” She shifted her body, throwing it as hard as she could.

       Nicole caught it a little above her right shoulder. “You’ve got an arm,” she said as she tossed it back to her overhand. 

       “Two actually,” she cracked. Nicole rolled her eyes. They continued to play catch for a little while, Nicole’s throws increasing in power as they went, never anything crazy, though. 

       “Ok, let’s see what I’ve got.”

       Waverly moved over to the side of the net and Nicole stood up on the ramp that acted as a pitcher’s mound. There was a spot against the net that would calculate the speed and show it up on a screen. She stretched her arm around, shaking it out for a few seconds. “I haven’t done this in a hot minute, bear with me.”

       Waverly chuckled. “Mhm. Throw the ball, Haught.”

       She shot her a look over her shoulder. “ _Throw the ball, Haught_ ,” she mimicked, pulling back, flinging the ball. The screen read 74 mph. She turned to her girlfriend, who’s eyes were slightly widened at her. “Guess what?” She pulled another ball out of her pocket. 

       “What?” 

       “ _I’m just warming up_.” 

       “Someone’s cocky.” A small smile teased her lips.

       Nicole lined herself up again on the mound. “Yea . . . I probably should have warned you about that.” She fired it again, gaining 10 mph.

       Waverly laughed. “Trust me, I know. Remember when we played _Monopoly_?” 

       “Yes. You made me sleep on the _couch_ ,” she grumbled playfully. She let a breath out, cannoning the ball towards the net. 93 mph. Waverly let out a quiet whistle. She smiled at herself, glad that she still had it in her. She walked around, collecting the balls off the ground, tossing them back in the bucket. “You wanna try?” She asked, walking over to the brunette, tucking a strand of hair behind her hair. 

       “I can’t do _that_!” She scoffed.

       Nicole took her hand, walking her over to the mound. “Sure you can!” She placed her hands on her hips, turning her body so her feet were on the grip. “You’re gonna pitch, not just throw it like I was, though.” She set the ball in her hand, positioning her fingers on it, first two fingers on the top, crossing both seams, others tucked down below. “Grip it like _this_ for a four-seam,” she mumbled, looking over to the spot on the net, positioning her hips correctly. 

       “A what now?”

       She looked up at her.  “Type of pitch. Easy fastball.”

       She blinked at her for a beat. “I thought you just had to throw it,” she said softly.

       Nicole smiled sweetly, shaking her head. “The way you hold it predicts how the ball will move in the air,” she informed simply.

       Waverly did a long nod. “I thought you were a _catcher_?” She questioned with a smirk. 

       “I was,” she confirmed. “Doesn’t mean I don’t know how to pitch, though.” She kissed her gently. 

       “You teaching me all of your sports stuff. _Big_ turn on. I approve.”

       Nicole raised her eyebrows at her. “Oh is it, now?” 

       “Very much so,” she nodded fiercely. Nicole chuckled, taking the ball out of her hand, spitting into her palm, smacking it back down onto it. She looked up at her, face contorting in disgust. “Ew, Nicole!” She grimaced. 

       “Waverly Earp, my tongue has been _in_ your mouth,” she retorted, a smirk creeping up on her face. 

       “Do that again and my foot’s gonna be _in_ your ass,” she quipped, wiping her hand off on the front of the redhead’s shirt.

       Nicole snorted, fixing her fingers again, then moving to stand behind her. “Ok.” She lifted her arms up, pushing the hand with the ball into the glove. “Now shift your weight back to this leg.” She tapped on her back leg and Waverly did so. “And lift this one until your thigh is at least parallel to the floor, turning your torso as you do it.” She cupped the back of her thigh, holding her hip to keep her steady. 

       “Yea?” She asked for approval. 

       “Mhm. ‘Kay. You’re going to bring it down, kicking it out in front of you as you drop your pitching hand down low, past your hip, stretching the other arm out front. Once your foot is about to hit the ground, step forward, using that momentum to swing your body and arm around, taking the weight off of your back leg, leaning forward onto the front as your release.”

       Waverly nodded, turning around and placing the ball in her hand. “Ok, you do it now,” she smiled. Nicole sighed, taking her place on the mound. She shook her arm around some more, lining her fingers up on the ball as she held it in her glove. She hitched her leg, letting out a grunt as she whipped her body around, the ball flying towards the target. 85 mph. “How!?” The smaller girl squeaked. Nicole laughed, taking the mask off Waverly's head and putting a new ball in her hand. 

       “ _Practice_ ,” she whispered, walking down to the mark for home plate. She slid the mask over her own head, squatting down into a catcher’s stance and closing her mitt a few times. “Just throw it normally a few times, Wave. Get used to it.”

       She nodded, doing so. “How’d you even get into baseball/softball/ _whatever_ in the first place?” She asked as Nicole tossed the ball back to her.

       “My parents signed me up for every sport you can think of when I was really little. The only three I took a liking to were basketball, soccer, and t-ball. I was a good goalie and was great at shooting baskets, but baseball has always been my favorite. Everything about being a catcher came naturally to me.” 

       “How did you get so good, though?”

       She sighed, bouncing on her toes, pulling the legs of her shorts up a little. “That’s the only thing I’ll thank my father for. He’d train with me every day. _Every day_. But . . . after we moved out, my mom took his place. She worked my ass off, too. Once I hit high school, I got an _amazing_ coach. He took over basically after my mom and I stopped talking.” When Nicole threw it back, Waverly must have been really listening to her because she ducked around it at last second. “Oop, sorry.” She stood up straight.

       Waverly grabbed a new ball, positioning it in her hand like Nicole had shown her. She looked up at her nervously. “Nic, I don’t know-”

       She walked over to her. “You can do it.” She pulled the mask up, kissing her forehead and jogging back. “C’mon, Love.” 

       “It’s gonna suck, though,” she mumbled. 

       “Do you know how bad I sucked the first time I pitched?” Waverly raised her eyebrows. “The ball went _behind me_.”

She snorted. “Really?” 

       “100%,” she nodded.

Waverly let out a raspberry. “Ok . . .” She wound up like Nicole showed her, pitching the ball. Nicole popped up, reaching to catch it. “That was horrible,” she cringed.

       Nicole shook her head with a smile. “No, that was really good, Waves!”

       She groaned, covering her face to hide a blush. “You’re just saying that,” she mumbled as the redhead walked over to her again.

       She tugged her hands away from her face, holding her hand. “Do I lie to you?” She asked, swinging their arms. It was much like their conversation when she heard her singing for the first time. And many other times when Waverly was insecure about something.

       “No.”

       “No, I don’t. The fact that you’ve never done that before and I was able to _catch_ it means it was good,” she smiled. “You’re a fast learner, Earp.” The brunette giggled, looking down to hide another blush. 

       They screwed around in the bullpen for a little while longer and then Waverly decided she wanted to try the batting cages. They found Topher and traded out equipment, following him to be let into a cage. “I wanna watch you hit!” Waverly smiled, pulling on the strings of her hooded cut-off shirt.

       “Yea?” She asked, voice low.

       Waverly bit her lip, looking up at her through her lashes. “Mhm.” The brunette slid her hands to her exposed biceps and Nicole gripped her hips, flexing her arms with a sly smile. She heard her inhale sharply.

       “I think I can do that,” she whispered, reaching up and rolling her lip down. Waverly tugged her in for a bruising kiss, a small moan escaping when their lips met. Nicole dug her nails into the skin of her hips, pulling her body closer.

       They heard a voice from behind them whisper. “You have a whole team of 13-year-old boys ogling you.” They pulled away, looking towards Topher, who was carrying a buttload of water. He nodded his head slightly in the direction of the infield. They saw 10 heads drop down behind the wall when they looked. 

       “Welp . . .” Nicole turned her head back towards Topher. “ _Their_ cups aren’t gonna fit today.” 

       “ _Oh my God_ ,” he snorted, shaking his head at her as he walked off in their direction. 

       “I . . . Water bottle. I’m gonna go do that.” Nicole nodded, holding back a laugh. “You know what I meant,” she mumbled. 

       “I’m going to get the pitching machine ready,” she smiled.

       Waverly turned away, walking towards the vending machines. She stuck a dollar bill into the slot. “Ya know, I’ve got some balls I’m sure you’d _much rather_ be playing with,” a deep voice from beside her said.

       She looked over to the muscular man who had leaned against the machine. “That is probably _the_ _worst_ pick up line I have _ever_ heard,” she informed, raising her eyebrows as she grabbed her water.

       He laughed to himself, readjusting the cap on his head, looking into her eyes with his baby blues. “I’m just stating facts,” he defended with a smile. 

       “Is that right?” She turned to face him.

       He slid closer to her. “It is,” he said quietly.

       She cocked an eyebrow, keeping her face neutral. “Really?” She asked, voice at the same level. “I don’t remember saying that.”

       He licked his lips. “Oh, Baby, you didn’t have to.” She rolled her eyes.

       He turned at the sound of the end of a metal bat hitting the ground. “Whatcha doin, Bub?” Nicole asked, leaning onto the bat.

       Waverly moved to stand next to the jock. “Do you know what he just said to me?” She asked with a laugh, smacking his arm lightly.

       Nicole’s face changed from a cold stare to a questioning smile. “No, what’d he say?!” She responded excitedly, looking between them.

       Waverly tapped him on the arm again. “Tell her, it was _really_ funny!”

       He blinked at her. “That wasn’t supposed to be funny,” he mumbled, ego deflating. 

       “But it was! C’mon, tell her!” She begged.

       “Wh- No.”

       The redhead took a few steps closer to him, throwing the bat over her shoulder and puffing out her chest, sizing him up. “I think you should tell me,” she smiled with tight lips, using her Officer tone. His mouth came open, moving slightly without making noise. She raised her eyebrows at him. He averted his eyes, repeating his earlier attempt at a pickup line. She nodded, settling her eyes on the brunette. They both began to laugh hysterically. Nicole calmed herself down after a few seconds. “Oh jeez, he thinks you play for his team, Babe,” she breathed out.

       He took a step back, looking towards Waverly. “You’re . . .” 

       “Yep,” she confirmed with a sharp nod. 

       “Well, you could’ve said that,” he muttered under his breath.

       “I could have . . . but that wouldn’t have been any fun.” He sighed, pushing himself off of the vending machine, walking away.

       Nicole walked closer to her, draping her arm across her shoulders. “You good?” She asked, furrowing her brow. She always had to make sure, no matter how _over i_ t she had insisted she was. 

       “Yea, I’m fine. That was hilarious!”

       Nicole nodded with a smile, squeezing her fingers before dropping her arm back to her side. “I always enjoy fucking with straight guys,” she admitted as they walked back to the cage. She removed her snapback, setting it on Waverly’s head as she replaced it with a helmet. She threw her a wink before stepping into the cage, activating the machine. She took a couple of practice swings before the first ball spat out. She nailed it, ball flying to the far right corner. Nine more balls shot out, and she hit the majority of them. She twirled her bat around, turning and gripping the net. 

       “Wow,” the brunette breathed, putting her hand where Nicole’s was. “You’re good at that.” 

       “I know right,” she smirked. “Your turn!” Waverly grinned, walking around, entering the batting cage. 

       She taught her how to swing the bat and then pitched the ball to her for a little while. She was doing really well and the redhead was ecstatic about it. 

       “How hard can that thing pitch it?” Waverly questioned, taking a drink of water, pointing to the pitching machine. 

       “100, I think?” Nicole shrugged. “Why?”

       The brunette grinned evilly. “Can Nicole Haught hit a ball at that speed?”

       Her eyes widened. “Uh . . .-”

       Waverly cut her off with a gasp. “I feel a challenge coming on!”

       Nicole tutted, plopping a helmet on her head. “ _Fine_ ,” she huffed playfully. Waverly got out of the cage and Nicole messed with the controls on the machine, walking back to the batter’s box. “10 tries! You owe me dinner if I hit one!” She shouted. 

       “Deal!” The first ball shot out of the machine and Nicole didn’t swing. She wanted to see what her timing would have to be. 

       “Ooh shit,” she mumbled, watching the countdown for the next one. She swung and missed. Along with the next four. “C’mon, Haught,” she whispered. She sucked in a deep breath, loading up. The sound of the ball hitting metal was music to her ears. “HAA!” She exclaimed, swinging at the next one, tipping it. She got a good hit on each of the next few. On the last swing, she nailed it, sending the ball across to the other side of the cage. 

       “WOAH!” A bunch of voices gasped. She looked to her left, realizing the _whole_ team from earlier was watching her. She smirked at her _very_ impressed girlfriend and exited the cage. 

       “You’re really good!” One of the boys exclaimed.

       She laughed, removing her helmet, putting her other hat back on. “Thanks?” She said a bit bashfully. 

       “You should _so_ come practice with us!” Another said. 

       “Uhm-” 

       “That is a _great_ idea!” Waverly smiled, bumping her arm.

       She looked to her with wide eyes. “Uh-huh,” she mumbled, looking back to the posy of teenagers.

       They both followed the running herd to the infield. “Coach!” One hollered. The dark-skinned man turned around, glancing quickly at the couple before back to the boy in front of him. “She,” he pointed to Nicole, “just hit a hundo in the cage and said she'd practice with us!”

       He nodded with a smile, walking over to them. “That’s not an easy thing to do,” he mused, a smile teasing his lips. 

       “I get a free dinner now, so.” Waverly elbowed her. 

       “Marty Fasbinder,” he greeted, sticking out his hand.

       She shook it. “Nicole H-”

       “Haught,” he finished for her. She blinked at him, trying to figure out how he knew her. He must have noticed the somewhat concerned look on her face. “It’s not like you weren't the number one female baseball prospect in America or anything,” he smiled.

       She blushed with a sheepish look on her face. “Right . . .”

       “I coached at Duke way back when. And we wanted you. _Real_ bad.” 

       “I . . . remember,” she said softly. 

       “How’d the U of C treat ya?” He asked, crossing his arms. 

       “Good . . . I’m still a proud Dino,” she laughed. He chuckled. “I . . . don’t know what they want me to teach them.”

       “Just . . . Wear ‘em out. Show ‘em what it takes.”

       She nodded with a large grin. “Is there anything specific you want me to work on?”

       “If you can somehow teach them to think of themselves as a team and get them to focus on the game, I’d be thrilled.” Ideas started shooting through her head.

       “What do you want me to do?” Waverly asked Nicole. 

       “You were a cheerleader. Go do your thing.”

       She widened her eyes at the redhead. “No!” 

       “They are already staring at your ass, what are you afraid of?” She furrowed her brow, looking to her right, finding a group of the boys quickly turning their heads away.

       The Coach threw them a glare and they scattered off. “You’re the boss,” he sighed, clapping her shoulder. Nicole smirked, walking towards the group. Waverly hung back, fully ready to ask Mr. Fasbinder more about this “Number One Prospect” title she hadn’t been informed about. 

       “Alright!” Nicole clapped her hands together, getting all of their attention. “Huddle up!” They all jogged over, standing in a circle. The redhead locked her hands behind her back. “My name’s Sheriff’s Deputy Nicole Haught and I work at the Sheriff’s Department. Some of you probably know that about me.  _But._  What you may not know is that  I was the number one female baseball player _in_ _America_  during my senior year of high school.” She glanced around at the widening eyes. “I also may or may not hold the record for the lowest _pop time_ during a game.” She smirked. “So . . . Now that you know that. I’m going to show how I trained _every day_ to get there. And trust me when I tell you that you’re not going to get anywhere from a couple of sissy sit-ups.” She exited the circle and began to walk around them. “Here are my rules: 1. You can call me Officer; Haught; Nicole; Master; Sensei; _I don’t care_.” That got a couple laughs. “ _BUT_ . . . If I hear you call me Bitch, I will make you _my Bitch_. You _will_ drop and give me 50 . . . 2.” She turned towards her girlfriend. “WAVE!”

       The brunette jogged over. “What?”

       Nicole turned back to the boys. “2,” she repeated. “This is my girlfriend, Waverly.” Her voice dropped low. “I know most of you know that already, though.” She watched as some of their faces turned red from the incident earlier. “So. When she walks away from here and starts doing _her thing_ , you are not to _look_ at her. And if you _do_ , I will, _once again_ , make you my bitch. You will drop and give me 50.” They heard a few audible gulps. She smiled at Waverly, who gave them a wave as she walked away. 

       They all locked their eyes on the redhead. She clapped once, “Let's line up!” The Blue Devils quickly dispersed and did so. She circled to the front of their line and began to pace back in forth in front of them. “Ya’ll will do 30 down and backs. All the way to the wall and back to the line for home plate. _If_ I hear anyone complain, I’m adding another one _for everyone_.” They all nodded and she walked to the end of the line. “Go!” The 16 kids took off, gawking at the redhead as she sprinted past their light running speed. Their gawk was nothing compared to Waverly’s, though. She threw her a wink, continuing on. She had lapped them by at least 10 when she finished. She placed her hands on her hips, breathing heavily. “32!” She shouted. “Thank Bennington and Lincoln for that!” She had heard those two mumble complaints as she passed them, so she had looked at the names on the back of their jerseys. They all pushed on, most of them red-faced, as she walked over to the two adults in the room. 

       “Show-off,” Waverly mumbled, licking her lips.

       “I’ll make you go run, too,” she warned. Waverly put her hands up, walking away. 

       “You’re good, Haught. They are actually _listening_ to you,” Marty said, nodding his head in approval. 

       “I guess they’re scared of me or something,” she shrugged. He smiled. The boys finished their down and backs, a couple dropping to the ground. She walked back over and they all stood up. “That was good. I’m pleasantly surprised.” They smiled, nodding their heads. The sound of feet pedaling across the floor caught their attention, but when they saw it was Waverly, they all quickly looked back to Nicole. She looked on, though. The brunette did a round off front handspring, ending with a full twist.

       Nicole looked at the boys as her head was still turned. “Carlton, Smith, and Yarber, 50, now,” she ordered, eyeing the three. They shot her a look. “I’m not saying this cause I don’t want ya’ll drooling over my girl. Trust me, I know she’s gorgeous. I was told ya’ll don’t know how to pay attention to the game, and this way, it’ll give you a reason to.” She looked back to the three. “Go on, 50, count together.” They sighed, moving to an open area, dropping to a plank and began doing pushups. “Buddy up. You’re playing some catch. I want to see your throwing. One of you is with me until these three finish.” They heard feet again, but none of them dared to look. The brunette twisted her body into a back handspring, leaping into an aerial cartwheel. Nicole kept herself cool as she looked back to the boys, who had lined up and started playing catch with one another. She stood across from the lonesome boy. “What do you play, Wu?” She asked, tossing him the ball.

       He was a little smaller than all the other’s, so she wasn’t overly shocked he was the one no one grouped with. “Catcher,” he informed.

       She could tell he was shy. “Starter?” She asked, catching the ball as he threw it back. 

       “No,” he mumbled.

       She cocked an eyebrow, throwing the ball pretty hard towards him. He caught it with no sweat, firing it back. “You’re good,” she complimented with a smile.

       He smiled widely back. “Thanks,” he responded softly.

       It hurt her a little. It was almost like no one had ever told him that before. “What’s your name?” 

       “Orion.”

       She smiled again. “Dude, that’s a really frickin’ cool name!” He laughed, blushing a little. The three finished their pushups, so one took her place. She looked back over to her girlfriend, who slid down into the splits. She locked her jaw to keep it from flopping open as she walked over. “Having fun, are we?” 

       “Mhm,” she smiled, pushing herself back up to her feet. “You?”

       “A lot actually. I forgot how much I loved this.” Waverly smiled, giving her a quick kiss. “Tell me who’s looking.”

       Waverly peeked behind her, spotting a pair of eyes. “Hartford.”

       Nicole chuckled, spinning around. “Hartford! Give me 50!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oo, Nicole got back to her roots a little bit there. 
> 
> Hope you liked it! 
> 
> Thanks for reading, once again!


	42. I Was Born Ready

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Off to Vegas! Nicole tells Waverly she has to go down there for a few days and of course she accepts her offer of joining her.

****Nicole hadn’t been bitchy to the boys the _whole_ time. They all had a lot of fun, actually. And they found her funny, which was always a plus. She walked them through a couple more practice drills, hit some pop-ups to the fielders, helped them improve their throwing. But she had to show off a little, getting their pitcher to pitch to her, proving her pop time was still pretty good. And it was. Her best was 1.78, not bad for not playing for over 4 years. 

       Waverly pulled up to Mama’s Pizza House, carrying through with the bet and taking the Officer out to dinner. “Yessssss!” The redhead breathed as they parked. Waverly chuckled, climbing out of the car. They walked in and got seated. Nicole took a sip of her water, folding her foot under her knee. “Thanks for today, Love,” she smiled.

       Waverly blushed. “You’re welcome.” 

       “I haven’t had that much fun in a while.” 

       She tipped her head. “ _I_ thought this morning was pretty fun,” she smirked.

       Nicole nodded her head in agreement. “We _do_ love a good pre-practice warm-up.” The brunette almost shot her drink out of her nose. Nicole felt her phone ringing in her pocket. She pulled it out, seeing it was an unknown number. She put the phone to her ear. “Sheriff’s Deputy Haught.” 

       “Hey, it’s Marty,” the voice answered. 

       “Oh, hey. What’s up?” 

       “So . . . I talked to the boys after practice. They really like you, Haught.”

She smiled. “I’m . . . glad. I had a great time with them today.” 

       “Yea, I could tell. I already called the school board. They said they’d be fine with hiring an assistant coach for the team . . . if you are interested, that is.”

       Her eyes widened. “Y-You want me to coach with you? Permanently?” Waverly matched her expression. 

       “We all do, actually. I’ve never seen this team work like they did today. I think you’d be really good for them.” 

       “Uhm, wow. I- I’ll have to talk to the Sheriff about it, but I will _definitely_ think about it.”

       She could hear his smile. “Great! We’ll keep in touch. Just . . . letting you know. It’s summer, so we only have three practices a week. Monday and Friday at the Purgatory Park, Wednesday at the training center. They always start at 11 and end at 2.”

       She nodded her head, looking into Waverly’s eyes. “Alright, if I can make it on Friday, I’ll let you know.” 

       “Sounds good. Thanks again, Haught.” 

       “Yep, no problem. Thanks, Marty.” She hung up and smiled from ear to ear. 

       “He wants to hire you?” Waverly asked. 

       “The _school_ wants to hire me!” 

       “That’s great, Baby!” Nicole drummed her hands on the table. 

       They got their pizza not long after and were just as impressed as they had been on their first visit. Waverly had snatched the grey snapback off her head at some point and Nicole couldn’t handle how cute she looked with it on. She flashed heart eyes every time she looked at her. 

       “Is it the 21st?” She asked all of a sudden. Waverly nodded, taking a bite of pizza. “How many days till the 2nd?” She bit at her cheek a little.

       Waverly thought about it, counting in her head. “11, why?” Nicole pursed her lips, pulling her phone out. “ _Why_?” Waverly repeated after several seconds. “Nicole.”

       She held a finger up, clicking around on her phone. She finally looked up at her annoyed girlfriend after a few minutes. “You want to come to Vegas with me next week?” She asked, raising her eyebrows.

       The brunette blinked at her. “Huh?” 

       “I have to go to Vegas for a couple of days. Do you want to come?”

       She blinked at her harder. “Wh- Why?”

       Nicole picked at her fingers. “It’s . . . gonna be 4 years since Aunt Liz . . . I always go down there for it.”

       Her eyes softened. “Y-Yea, I’ll come. Only if you want me to, though.” 

       The redhead met her eyes with a nod. “Of course I want you to come,” she said softly.

       Waverly reached across the table and took her hand. “I’ll come. I’ll have to go get a passport, but I’ll come.”

       Nicole gave her a small smile, looking back down to her phone. “The flight’s at 10 AM next Wednesday,” she informed. “Annnd we’re coming back on the 5th so you can be there on the 4th of July.” 

       “Fireworks?!” She gasped. 

       “ _So many_ fireworks,” she smiled. Waverly giggled. They chatted about all the things they could do for the week they were there, but Nicole left off a few parts. She already knew she wanted there to be some surprises.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Wednesday rolled around faster than expected. Nicole had officially started coaching the Blue Devils with Coach Fasbinder, and she was surprisingly able to be at both of the practices so far. Waverly got herself a passport, but could not stop freaking out about the whole _flying_ aspect of the trip. She had never been on a plane and was _more_ than terrified about it. Nicole tried to convince her that she’d be ok, but it did absolutely nothing to calm her nerves. 

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_ The smaller girl groaned, flipping off of Nicole and smacking the alarm off. It was 5 AM. She rolled back onto the redhead, snuggling her head into the warmth of her chest. “Too early,” Waverly mumbled.

       Nicole let out a grunt in agreement, wrapping her arms around her. “We have to leave by 6,” she yawned. Waverly almost dozed off after a few minutes, but she caught herself. The Officer, though, had not. “Cole.” She lifted her head up, looking at her sleeping face, hearing quiet snores coming from her slightly parted lips. “Cole,” she mumbled again, poking her the bottom of her chin.

       She stirred slightly. “Hmm?” 

       “Wake up.” 

       “‘M ‘wake.”

       Waverly laughed quietly to herself. “C’mon, Babe.” She sat up and set her hand on her bare stomach, stroking her fingers along her skin.

       “The sun isn’t up, therefore I don’t have to be up.” 

       “I’ll get Wynonna to come jump on the bed again,” she threatened.

       Nicole opened her eyes, narrowing them at the brunette. “You mean jump _on me_? Cause she literally almost broke my boob last time.”

       Waverly giggled, straddling her hips. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

       “Your sister can make anything possible. She sends things to Hell for a living,” Nicole defended. Waverly smiled, cupping her cheeks, leaning down into a soft kiss. The redhead must have moved her legs because she slid forward slightly. “ _Ok_ ,” she groaned. “ _That’s_ my bladder.” Waverly sat back up with an apology, crawling off of her. She sat up with a grunt, getting off the bed. She grabbed a stack of clothes and headed off to the bathroom. 

       “Seriously, Haught Bod? Put some clothes on,” Wynonna complained groggily as she walked out of her room.

       She looked down at herself, just in a bra and briefs. “I’m working on it,” she argued, flapping the handful of clothes at her. 

       “Acting like it’s 100 degrees in this damn house,” she muttered, walking down the steps. 

       “You try sleeping with 3 blankets _and_ a Waverly in the summer ‘n see how you dress.” She heard her mumble something back, but couldn’t understand the words. She sighed, walking in the bathroom.

       She had just climbed in the shower and rubbed some shampoo into her hair when she felt arms wrap around her middle. She tensed up for a second in shock but relaxed back into the brunette as she pushed a kiss in between her shoulder blades. “Hey, you,” Nicole breathed as she turned to face her. 

       “Hi,” she smiled.

       They switched positions so the smaller girl could get her hair wet. Nicole pressed her front into the curve of her back, hugging her arms around her stomach, placing slow kisses along her shoulder. “You ready for today?” 

       “No,” she mumbled, placing her hands on either of her’s. 

       “It’s only a 3-hour flight, Love. It’ll be ok.” 

       “It's still scary, though.” 

       “I know . . . I’m sorry.” She kissed her neck gently and the brunette sighed into it, tipping her head back into her collar bone. “I downloaded all three Toy Story movies on my iPad for us to watch. I thought it might distract you a little.”

       Waverly turned around in her arms. “Really?” She asked softly with doe eyes.

       Nicole blushed a little. “Yea,” She answered with a shy smile.

       She beamed lovingly up at her. “That’s really sweet,” the shorter girl mumbled, voice wavering a little. “Thank you.”

       Nicole cupped her face in her hands, kissing away the few tears that spilled out of her eyes. “You’re welcome, Baby . . . Don’t cry,” she soothed.

       Waverly laughed softly. “I’m not, I . . . got shampoo in my eyes.”

       Nicole smiled, shaking her head at her. “You haven’t washed your hair yet, Wave,” she reminded with a laugh. Waverly pursed her lips at her, snatching the bottle off the shelf. 

       After they both finished, they hopped out and dried themselves off. Waverly wrapped a towel around her body, blow-drying her hair in front of the mirror. Nicole stood behind her as she put her underclothes on. She snaked her hand around to the front of her body, tugging the fold of her towel out. It dropped to the ground and she smirked at her through the mirror. Waverly tutted, turning the hairdryer off. “Nic,” she chastised, turning around.

       “My bad,” she drawled, tracing her eyes down her body. Waverly sauntered towards her, pushing her hand against her stomach, walking her back to the wall. Nicole pressed her palms flat against it, mouth coming open slightly in fear. “I-”

       “Did I tell you to do that?” She asked, tipping her head at her. 

       “N-No, Ma’am,” Nicole stuttered, shaking her head.

       Waverly shook her head back. “No . . . I didn’t.” Her voice was low, purposely teasing her. “What do you say?” She slid her fingers down, hooking around the elastic of her briefs. 

       “I’m s-sorry.”

       She smirked, flipping her hand over, sliding it down, slipping her fingers through wet folds, pressing into her sensitive bud. The redhead choked back a moan. “Thank you.” She nipped at her chin. “ _Sheriff’s Deputy_.” She pulled her hand out and turned back to the mirror, retucking her towel and turning the hair dryer back on. Nicole was trying to calm her staggered breathing, still pressed to the wall. She gulped, slowly moving to grab her clothes. She slipped some black basketball shorts on and pulled a grey t-shirt over her head. Waverly made eye contact with her and shot her a wink as she left the bathroom. She let out a breath after she closed the door behind her. 

       Downstairs, she found Gus in the kitchen starting up a pot of coffee. “Mornin,” she greeted with a smile. 

       “Good morning, Nicole,” she sighed.

       Nicole cocked an eyebrow. “You ok?” She asked, leaning back onto the counter and crossing her arms. 

       “Oh, I’m fine . . . Just thinking about how I have to ride in a car with Wynonna for at least 2 hours today.” 

       The Officer sighed a laugh. “Don’t remind me.”

       Gus smiled, grabbing 4 cups out of the cabinet. “How’s Waverly doing? Still nervous?”

       She held back a smile at just the sound of her name. She cleared her throat a bit. “Yea, she is. But, I think she’ll be ok.” Gus nodded.

       Wynonna walked in from outside. “She’s not naked anymore!” She cheered.

       Nicole’s face turned the color of her hair. “I wasn’t naked, Wynonna,” she grumbled. It didn’t matter how many things had been mentioned in front of Gus, the redhead still had the same reaction every time. The coffee brewed up, so she poured herself a cup, talking to the older woman as she took a sip. She felt a tug around her waist and looked down, seeing her shorts around her ankles. She looked up at Gus wide-eyed, setting her mug down and turning around, finding a giggling Waverly. 

       “My bad,” she mocked. Nicole inhaled deeply, pulling her pants back up. The brunette must have seen it in her eyes because she took off. The Officer was right behind her. “NOO!” Nicole wrapped her arms around her waist, picking her up and flipping her upside down. “NIC!” 

       “What do you say?!” She asked, holding in a laugh as she spazzed her free hand around on her stomach.

       “I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY, OK!” She walked them back over to the counter and took a sip of her coffee, Waverly pleading to be put down.

       Gus and Wynonna looked on in amusement. “I full-heartedly think you deserve this, Waverly,” the older woman admitted with a small smirk. 

       “You know what I did to her earlier?!” Waverly asked. Nicole quickly flipped her, setting her back on her feet. “That’s what I thought,” she smiled, taking a drink of the redhead’s coffee. Nicole swallowed, clasping her hands in front of her with an innocent grin. 

       “Guys . . . It’s 5:50,” Wynonna informed. They looked to the clock on the stove, confirming it was. They ran upstairs to gather their last few things (Nicole handing out multiple threats, most making Waverly’s eyes darken). They walked back down and out to the Jeep, which they had loaded up the night before. 

       “I’ll see you later, Ladies,” Doc said, tipping his hat. Waverly gave him a hug. 

       “Bye, Doc,” Nicole said with a wave. 

       “I’m sitting in the back with Babygirl!” The older Earp announced, climbing in and slamming the door. Waverly went to complain, but Nicole shook her head, showing she didn’t mind. They all piled into the car, Gus in the driver’s seat, and pulled away from the Homestead. “Haught Pants, you're DJ.” She grinned into the mirror, plugging her phone into the jack.

       “Oh no,” the brunette muttered. The beginning beat of Sugar, We’re Going Down started up, the song she had heard _at least_ 100 times in the past month, for it was Nicole’s all-time favorite. “Babeeee,” she complained. Nicole turned it up so she couldn’t hear her. 

       Throughout the hour-and-a-half drive to the airport in Calgary (They got caught in _a lot_ of traffic), they listened to a wide variety of songs. Nicole and Wynonna rocked out to the alternative songs, Waverly and Nicole sang the lovey-dovey songs together, the trio of girls screamed the annoying pop songs, and Gus hummed along to the occasional Elvis and Johnny Cash. 

       Gus pulled up to the entrance and parked, Nicole slowly turning the music down. Wynonna looked out the window, looking back to her baby sister with a frown. “Noo,” she whined. Waverly pouted her bottom lip out at her. They all got out of the Jeep, Nicole and Waverly grabbing their bags. “Ima miss you,” Wynonna mumbled from beside her. 

       “I’ll miss you, too, Nonna,” Waverly murmured, pulling her in for a hug. 

       “Bye, Dear,” Gus said when Nicole hugged her. 

       “You might need to pray for me, I have to refuse an _Earp_ alcohol,” she groaned quietly into her ear. This was true. Waverly wasn’t turning 21 for another 2 months, so she wasn’t of legal age in the US.

       Gus pulled back with a chuckle. “Have you reminded her of that yet?”

       “Nope,” she sighed. 

       “Ooh boy.” The sisters walked over to them and Wynonna smacked Nicole on the back _maybe a little_ too hard. She winced, shoving her shoulders up as a reflex, glaring at her when she turned around. 

       “Haught.” 

       “Earp.” They stared at each other for a long couple of seconds, not really sure what their next move should be. Wynonna slowly stepped forward, wrapping her arms lightly around the Officer’s shoulders. She did the same, resulting in the most uncomfortable looking hug to have _ever_ happened. Waverly snapped a quick picture of the two with a big smile on her face. They, of course, had no idea she had done that.

       They pulled away, standing awkwardly in front of one another. “I never thought I’d say this, but I think I’m gonna miss your narc-ass,” the dark brunette admitted. 

       “Yea . . . I think I’ll miss your dumbass-ass, too.” They both nodded at one another.

       “This is weird.” 

       “Yea, I’m over it.” Nicole shoved her hands in her pockets, walking away.

       Waverly pulled out of Gus’ hug and she gave her a reassuring squeeze of the arm. “You two have fun, alright? But still be safe. Haught, I’m warning you, she bett-” 

       “I’ll watch over her like a hawk,” Nicole assured, cutting Gus off. She nodded. 

       “Bye, guys! Love you!” Waverly called as they climbed back into the Jeep. Wynonna flapped her hand at them out the window as they pulled away.

       Nicole grabbed onto the handle of her suitcase, throwing the strap of her carry-on over her shoulder. Waverly did the same before taking her hand. “You ready?” she asked with a smile, squeezing her hand a few times. 

       “I was born ready,” Waverly confirmed. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “ _OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod_ -” 

       “Waverly.” Nicole tilted her head towards her. They had _just_ boarded the plane and the brunette was already flipping her shit. “Shh, look at me. You’re ok, Baby.”

       “I can’t do this,” she breathed out.

       Nicole shook her head. “Yes, you can. I’ve been on a plane at _least_ 50 times and nothing bad has ever happened. We’re gonna be fine, I promise.”

       Waverly darted her eyes over her face, digging her nails into her hand. Nicole could feel her skin splitting, but she kept her face normal. “You don’t know that, Nic.”

       She cupped her hand over the brunette’s, hoping to get her to remove her claws, and she did, thankfully. “Waves, Baby. We’ll be ok. Breathe.” She wiped away the single tear that slid down her face, pushing their foreheads together. “It’s ok,” she whispered. The smaller girl nodded, squeezing her eyes together to rid them of tears. 

       “It’s ok,” she echoed softly. Nicole smiled at her, giving her a soft kiss. 

       When the plane started moving, Waverly wrapped herself around Nicole’s arm. “Cole,” she cried in a whisper. The Officer knew she only called her that when she was tired, drunk, or terrified. It wasn’t hard to figure out which of the three it was at the moment. She flipped the armrest between them up, tugging her arm out of her grasp, curling it around her, pulling her as close as the seatbelts would allow her. Waverly clutched her shirt, breath shaky.

       Nicole pushed a kiss into the top of her head, leaving her face there. “You’re safe, Babygirl. I promise.” The redhead’s eyes shot open. She had never called her that before, knowing it had been reserved by Wynonna. But it had just slipped out. She got scared, hoping she hadn’t overstepped. It was quite the opposite, actually. Waverly gripped her shirt harder but seemed to relax a little, lifting her head from where it was buried. Nicole let out a relieved breath, rubbing her hand up and down on her side. She felt the nose of the plane start to tip towards the sky, hearing the wheels come off the runway. Waverly turned her body, looking out the window as they climbed into the air. She could feel her body start to relax. But a wiggle of turbulence sent her right back under Nicole’s arm. “Just turbulence,” she whispered, kissing her temple as she got Toy Story pulled up with her free hand. She stuck her earbuds into the iPad and handed one to the brunette. 

       “Thanks,” she mumbled, pushing it in her ear. Nicole put in the other and pressed play on the movie, holding it between them. 

       After about 10 minutes, they were allowed to remove their seatbelts. They did so and Waverly crawled up onto the Officer's lap, resting her head in the crook of her neck.

       Nicole gasped, looking down at the screen. “Buzz Lightning!”

       Waverly snorted. “LightYEAR. Buzz Lightyear!” She corrected.

       The redhead blushed. “That’s what I said.” She shook her head, interlocking their fingers on her lap. 

       On their screen, the crowd of toys made room for Buzz as he walked towards the edge of the bed and climbed up on the bedpost. Standing on top of it, he posed like a diver and shut his eyes. 

       “Ready, ready, ready . . .” Waverly said with a big smile, looking up at her girlfriend. 

       “To infinity and beyond!” They exclaimed quietly with the character’s voice as he jumped off. Waverly giggled, mouth curving into an even bigger smile. Nicole matched it, cupping her cheek, kissing her with every ounce of love that she could possibly deliver. 

       “I love you, Nic.”

       Her heart swelled. She would never get tired of hearing those three words. “One more time?” She asked, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

       Waverly looped her arms around her neck. “I. Love. You.” She ended each word with a kiss.

       Nicole sighed into her lips. “I love you, too.”

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole stood when they were directed to grab their carry-ons after they landed. The descent for Waverly was _much_ easier than the takeoff. She handed her her bag and took her hand, leading her off the plane. They walked out of the exit tunnel and into the airport. “Welcome to America,” she smiled, taking her sunglasses off the collar of her shirt and sticking them on top of her head. Waverly’s eyes were wide as she looked around, Nicole pulling her along to baggage claim.

       They stood next to the conveyor belt and the shorter girl leaned back into the Officer. “I’m in a different _country_ ,” she breathed aloud to herself. 

       “Mhm.” 

       “ _Wow_.”

       They got both of their bags and Nicole led them to an ATM. “I need me some ‘Murica money,” she smirked, pushing a card into the machine. Waverly wasn’t going to comment on _which_ account she watched her pull out of. Or how much for that matter. Out of their whole 4 months of being together, she had never seen her do that before. The only other time that she knew of was when she worked on the Homestead. She looked down at her phone, snapping Wynonna back as Nicole counted through a healthy handful of 100 dollar bills. She tucked it away in her wallet and took Waverly’s hand. “Are you hungry? I’m hungry.” 

       “I am _starving_!” They walked out the front exit of the airport and Nicole put her sunglasses on, the brunette gawking at all the buildings in the close distance. The Officer pulled her phone out, sending a text. Waverly had watched her do this twice now since they got there. She did a double-take, squinting up the street. _No_.

       Sure enough, the electric blue Lamborghini rolled to a stop in front of them and a man climbed out. The redhead handed him one of the bills she had just gotten and he walked off. “How’d this get here?!”

       Nicole smiled, picking up her suitcase and stuffing it into the trunk. “I think that guy just parked it in front of us,” she joked, getting the rest of their bags in there and climbing into the car. 

       “Nic,” she swooned. 

       “Everything for you, My Love.” She leaned over the console, giving her a kiss. 


	43. Poor Sunglasses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly is supposed to be touring her home for the next 7 days, but WayHaught gets a little distracted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There be smut
> 
> Lots of smut

       After a trip to In N Out, Nicole pulled up to a gated community. “Fancy,” Waverly mumbled as the redhead rolled her window down, punching in a code to make the gate open. 

       “Mhm,” she smirked, driving through it. Waverly watched out the window as they passed a bunch of other condos and houses. Down a couple of turns and at the very edge of a culdesac stood a _stunning_ 2-story stone condo. Nicole pulled into the driveway and opened the center console, pulling a set of keys out. 

       “It’s gorgeous, Nic,” Waverly said in awe as they climbed out.

       Nicole smiled, taking her hand. “You wanna go take a look around before we haul all of our shit in?” She nodded. The taller one led them up to the door, unlocking it and pushing it open, letting the brunette in first. She slowly walked into the main room, tracing her eyes around. 

       It was beautifully furnished and the floors were a deep cherry hardwood. The Officer followed her around as she explored at her own pace. When they walked upstairs, she found the master bedroom. 

       “ _That_ is the biggest bed I have _ever_ seen,” Waverly gasped slack-jawed.

       Nicole chuckled, gripping each of her hips, pulling her ass vigorously into her front. “That we certainly will get good use of,” she husked.

       Waverly let out an unanticipated moan, and the Officer licked her lips. “Like . . . Right now?” She asked, slowly grinding back into her. 

       “Yea- sure- if you want?” The redhead stammered.

       Waverly slowly turned around and stuck her hands up the back of her shirt, stroking her nails up her back, feeling goosebumps rise. “I always want,” she purred. Nicole fixed her eyes on her for a few seconds before grabbing her jaw, tugging her in for a bruising kiss. Waverly turned them and walked back to the bed, shoving her back onto it as she felt her legs hit it. 

       “God, I love when you do that,” she uttered as the younger girl hopped onto her lap.

       “Oh, I know,” she assured, dipping her head to meet her lips again. She felt strong hands grip her ass as she ghosted her thumb across the faint indent on her cheek from Wynonna months back. She groaned, grinding down into her. Nicole snuck her hands to the sides of her shirt, tugging on it a bit. She sat up, allowing her to pull it off of her. 

       “Oh my . . . _boobs_.” Waverly bit her lip as she watched her girlfriend’s hungry eyes trace over the new maroon and black lace number she had on. She took each of her hands in her own, placing them on her breasts. “ _Nicole like_ ,” she growled with a wolfish grin as she flipped them over. She palmed at her chest as she slid her tongue deep into her mouth, getting a low groan out of the smaller girl. Waverly hooked a leg around her hip, pulling her body closer. Nicole tutted, ripping the sunglasses that fell down over her eyes off.

       Waverly laughed lightly. “Poor sunglasses.” She rolled her eyes playfully, pulling her own shirt off her body, flexing her arms as she balled it up, tossing it elsewhere. “I suddenly don’t care about sunglasses.” 

       “No?” She asked, teasing her a little as she slowly removed her bra. 

       “Nope, not at all,” she confirmed, eyes tracing over the newly revealed skin. 

       “Mm, didn’t think so,” she rasped, stroking a finger down her neck.

       The smaller girl sat up quickly, surprising Nicole a bit. “You. Are being slow. I. Can’t do slow right now.” She forced the redhead off of her and pushed her to her back, ripping the shorts off her legs, pulling the briefs down with them. 

       “My bad,” she drawled, looking up at the brunette with an all-knowing smile of what she had just hinted back to. 

       “Is that funny?” She asked, cocking her head as she pushed her thumbs into her hip bones. 

       “Yea, kinda is,” she admitted with a shrug. Waverly licked her lips as she unhooked her bra, sliding it down and off her arms. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth when she tousled her hair a bit, staring seductively into her eyes. Nicole inhaled slowly, reaching out to grab her hip, but in .5 seconds, the brunette’s face was right over her’s and both her arms were being held down on either side of her head. 

       “Tsk, tsk, tsk.” She dug her nails into her wrists. “Officer Haught, did you not learn from last time?”

       She gulped, pupils blowing. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

       Waverly smacked one of her hands onto the bottom of her chin, curling her fingers around it tightly. “That didn’t answer my question,” she growled.

       The redhead let out a whine, bucking her hips slightly. “Ye-yea-yes, Ma’am, I learned. I did.”

       She let her go, switching her hand back to her arm. “ _Good_ ,” she sneered, dropping her lips to her neck, slowly moving across the sweet-tasting pale skin. Nicole let out a throaty moan as she sank her teeth in around her collarbone. 

       Noted.

       “Fuck, Waves,” she breathed, glad her hands were preventing her from touching her. She let out a low chuckle as she continued on down with nips and kisses. She rolled her thumb over a perked bud before pushing it into her mouth, flicking it with her tongue a few times. The taller girl tipped her head back, pushing her body off the bed.

       Waverly moved herself up, kissing the bit of neck right below her ear. “You can touch me now,” she smiled.

       Nicole sighed a laugh, brushing her finger against her thigh, testing the waters before resting her whole hand on it. “You are so fuckin’ sexy, Baby,” Nicole muttered in between kisses as she slowly slid her hands up her sides.

       The brunette detached from her mouth, pushing her face sideways on the bed, casting her hot breath onto her ear. “Speaking of fucking.” The redhead looked down, now realizing that her head was in between her legs. “Do you want me to fuck you, Officer?” She asked, voice laced with innocence. “Would you like that?” 

       “I would,” she breathed out.

       Waverly traced a finger up her slit. “You wou- _God_ , Nic, you’re so wet.”

       She pushed her hand through the brunette’s hair. “Yea, just a lil’ bit,” she nodded breathlessly. Waverly placed her hands on her inner thighs, spreading her legs farther as she blew a stream of cold air onto her sex. She groaned, pushing her thighs against her hands. “Babe,” she whined. 

       “What do you want me to do, Love?” She questioned with a few kisses to the pelvic bone.

       The redhead’s body continued to squirm under her grip. She gripped the back of Waverly’s head, pulling it back and staring into her hazel eyes. “Fuck. Me.” 

       Waverly smirked, heat rushing to her core. “ _Yes, Ma’am_.” 

       And with that, she placed her open mouth against her, forcing her tongue into her folds and tracing it up, stopping right below the swollen bud. She flicked over it once, quickly moving down to her entrance, stiffening her tongue and sticking it in slowly. The redhead drew out her name in a moan. She smiled, wrapping her arms around her thighs to get a better grip as she teased it in and out. Glancing up at a sharp cry, she saw a red-faced Nicole who looked to be losing her patience a bit.

       And, of course she had to give in to her Baby’s needs. 

       She rubbed her thumbs along her thighs gently as she slid back up to the nub, rolling her tongue around it. She heard her breath catch in her throat. “Good, Babe?” She asked, continuing her movements. 

       “Oh, God yes,” she blurted, arching her spine. She pressed down on her hips to keep her grounded as she sped up the roll of her tongue. The redhead let out a few short wails, digging the heels of her feet into her lower back. “ _F_ _uck_ , Waverly, there!” She met her wide gaping eyes, sliding her nails against the quivering skin of her hips. 

       Nicole let go of the sheets, latching her hand onto one of her breasts, the other fisting in her red locks as the sounds of her own screams dispersed into white noise. Waverly though, grinned proudly as she made the woman practically do a _backflip_ over the edge, hearing her name echoing off the walls. She slid her tongue up her slit to gather reminisce of the orgasm, slowly moving up her girlfriend’s shivering body, laying next to her, placing one of her hands on the arm that’s hand was still in her hair, peppering light kisses on the side of her shoulder. 

       After a minute or two, her eyes came back open, blinking quickly. “Are you on Earth again?” Waverly asked, moving her kisses across her bruised collarbone and up to her cheek. 

       “Whatever _that_ was was not Earthly,” she breathed, still trying to steady the rise and fall of her chest. Waverly giggled, blushing slightly as she rested her head next to her’s. Nicole flopped her head to the side to meet her eyes, tilting her chin up and kissing her slowly. “I _really_ like this mouth of yours,” she whispered, tugging on her bottom lip with her thumb and forefinger. She hummed, nuzzling their noses together. 

       Her face fell as a thought popped into her head. A thought that carried images. Images she had to bite her tongue to keep from _moaning_ at.

       “What?” Nicole asked, raising an eyebrow, tracing her eyes over her unreadable face.

       The brunette met her eyes, closing her mouth all the way. “No-nothing. Nothing.”

       Nicole placed her hand over her’s. “You can talk to me about anything, ya know,” she empathized.

       Waverly shook her head, looking away from her face. “No, it’s nothing,” she repeated. 

       She raised her eyebrows. “Really? Cause you drooled on my arm 10 seconds ago.”

       She glanced down, confirming she actually _did_ do that. “No, it’s stupid.”

       The redhead cupped her cheek. “I don’t think anything you could say would be stupid, _Working to be_ Miss Earp,” she smiled.  

       “I dunno . . . I was just wondering . . .” The Officer raised her eyebrows again. She clapped her hands over her face, rolling to her back as a blush stormed her cheeks.

       Nicole grabbed one of her arms, coaxing it away. “Noo, c’mon, we were getting there.” She kissed the palm of her hand. 

       The brunette groaned softly. “I was just wondering . . . if you’ve ever- nope.” She covered her face again.

       Nicole smiled as she pushed a kiss into her arm. “Have I everrr . . .?” The brunette muttered something into her hands, but it was too muffled for her to understand. “Hmm?” She mumbled a negative response. “Wave, it’s ok. What, Baby?” She asked softly.

       She turned her head towards her quickly as she uncovered her face, blurting out her question. “Have you ever used a strap-on?”

       Nicole’s eyes widened. “ _What_?” 

       Her face heated up. “I think you heard me,” she mumbled.

       The redhead blinked at her. “Did I?” She nodded slowly. Nicole swallowed, clearing her throat. “Uhm . . . Yea, I have.” Waverly sighed at the roll of images filling her head again. “Is- Is that something you-” 

       “ _Yes_ ,” she cut off. 

       Nicole sat up after a few seconds, moving off the bed. Waverly’s heart dropped in fear that she was leaving. “No, Nicole, wa-” 

       “Wave,” she said softly. “Chill.” She opened the drawer on the nightstand and plopped a sealed package in front of her. She looked down at it, heart rate increasing.

       Nicole had a random strap-on set in the nightstand of a condo she didn’t come to a lot _because_?

       She slowly raised her eyes to the redhead, jaw dropped open. “I’ve never used _that_ one, but I _have_ used one,” she informed softly. 

       “Why’s this here?” She asked, picking up the box.

       Nicole laid back down on the bed next to her. “I don’t know really . . . I bought it last time I came up here . . . just in case I . . . needed it all of a sudden.” 

       “AKA, just in case you picked up a random girl from a club in Vegas ‘n brought her home?”

       Nicole blushed a deep red. “ _Maybe_.”

       She giggled, smacking her arm. “Have you ever done that?” She asked, cocking an eyebrow with a smirk.

       Nicole cleared her throat again, sitting up. “Where were we? Oh yes, you drooled on me because you were thinking about a strap-on, _right_.”

       Waverly sat up, spinning the box in her hands. “Actually, I was thinking about _you_ in a strap-on,” she mumbled.

       Nicole smirked. “Well . . .” She took the box from her nervous hands, dropping her voice to a husk. “How about we make those thoughts a reality?”

       She snapped her eyes to her face, pupils almost taking up her whole iris. “Now?” 

       “Only if you want to,” she said, a smile still on her lips. She tugged her closer by the legs, breath tickling her ear. “I do have to warn you . . .” She traced the tip of her tongue down her earlobe, sending a chill up her spine. “I tend to get a little _filthy_.”

       Waverly felt the puddle in between her legs grow, soaking her underwear through to her shorts. “I’m good with filthy,” she breathed.

       Nicole smiled wolfishly, eyes not leaving her face as she ripped the box open. Waverly let out a breath, looking down, watching her slender fingers pull the harness out of the box, followed by a blue dildo. Waverly met her eyes again with slightly labored breathing. “Are you sure, Baby?” Nicole asked with all seriousness.

       She nodded slowly. “Very sure.” The wolfish grin returned and she hopped off the bed, trying to figure out how the harness worked. “So . . . Why have you never brought _this_ up before.”

       Nicole looked up at her. “Truthfully?” Waverly nodded. “I thought it wouldn’t be your thing cause . . . yea.” That was a pretty logical answer. 

       “Well, you thought wrong,” she smirked.

       Nicole nodded with wide eyes. “I see that.” She tightened it around her hips, straps gripping her ass. Harness now tightly attached to her body, she fumbled with the dildo, getting it into the hole in the front. She glanced up, finding her girlfriend gawking at her, squeezing her thighs together uncomfortably. She motioned for her with her finger and she scooted to the edge of the bed, still staring downwards. Nicole lifted her to her feet with a finger pushing up on her chin and clamped her hands tightly on her hips, jerking her body forward so their hips touched. Waverly gasped, feeling the dildo pressed flat up against her stomach. The thoughts were _nothing_ compared to the real sight in front of her. Nicole ran a finger down her parted lips. “You tell me to stop if you need me to stop. Promise?”

       “Promise,” she whispered. Nicole licked her lips, glancing down at the pink pair in front of her face. She surged forward, latching her lips to them in a mind-numbing kiss. Waverly pulled her head down, wrapping her arms tightly around her neck. The redhead dropped her hands to her ass, giving it a powerful smack before gripping the backs of her upper thighs, hoisting her up. Waverly let out a small moan, feeling the object press upwards against her centre. Nicole pressed her against the wall, wasting no time as she batted at her tongue with her own. 

       The brunette’s moans were swallowed as the Officer slowly began to roll her hips. She dug her nails into her shoulders, throwing her head back. Nicole looked up at her face, mouth opening slightly as she pulled her away from the wall, walking near the bed and dropping her back to her feet. Waverly looked up at her, gripping her bicep. Nicole placed her hand on the top of her head, forcing her to her knees in front of her. She took the blue object in her hand, tapping her on the nose with it a few times. 

       A smirk worked it's way up onto the brunette’s face. She took it in her own hand, tonguing the tip for a few seconds before taking the whole thing in her mouth. Nicole let out a moan, feeling the base press against her, eyes rolling back at the sight below her. “ _Holy_ . . .” She cleared her throat as Waverly pulled it out with a pop. “Holy shit,” she breathed.

       The smaller girl stood up and shoved her back onto the bed, crawling up her legs, taking the toy in her hand and pumping her hand up and down the shaft a few times. “Did I surprise you there, Haught?” She asked, voice dripping with lust. 

       “You . . . Yes, you did,” she confirmed, sitting up on her elbows, watching the girl smile before placing her mouth on the dildo again, bobbing her head up and down slowly. 

       Nicole’s moans and groans filled the room as she sucked her off for a few minutes. But as she felt that she was starting to reach the edge, she put a stop to it. She grabbed onto a handful of brown hair and yanked her head up. “Back. Now,” she ordered in a growl. Waverly quickly flipped to her back and Nicole moved to hover over her, sitting in between her legs. She leaned in close to her ear, placing a gentle kiss to the side of her cheek. “You sure you’re ok with this?” 

       “I’m sure, Nic, I promise.” 

       “Ok . . . If it hurts or is too much or-”

       “Baby, I’ll tell you. It’s ok. You’re not gonna break me.” She inhaled deeply as she saw a grin crawl onto her lover’s face. 

       “ _I just might_ ,” she rasped, sitting back up and ripping the shorts and underwear off her body. Waverly watched her run the tip of the dildo against her folds, gathering a heap of wetness and stroking it down the shaft. She dipped her fingers in, stroking against her swollen nub. “Are you always this wet for me, Baby?” 

       “I-I don’t think so,” she admitted, watching her smear more wetness on the object.

       She chuckled a little. “Is it cause you’re excited . . .? Excited for me to _fuck you senseless_?” Waverly whimpered, feeling her press the tip into the entrance and she closed her eyes, getting used to the size of it. She hadn’t had anything other than one or two fingers penetrate her for a while now, so it would take a bit to get used to again. The Officer watched as she began to push it slowly into the smaller girl, checking frequently up at her face. She drew back after a third of its length was in, slowly pushing it in again, rocking her hips at that length for a few pumps. She pushed it in to halfway, repeating the same process until she eventually got it all the way, her hips touching the back of her thighs. She leaned in towards her face again. “Is that ok?” She asked quietly. 

       Waverly slowly opened her eyes, looking up at the concerned brow above her with a smile. “Yea. Good, just give it a second.” Nicole nodded, placing kisses along her jaw. She felt a hand touch her hip after several seconds and she knew that was the go-ahead. She moved her kisses down to her neck as she began to rock her hips, sucking light red marks into her skin. “Faster, Baby,” she coaxed, meeting her darkened brown eyes.

       A storm of smoldering heat bubbled up in her at the request. She nibbled at a mountain of skin as she sped it up, body easily getting back into the swing of things. “You like that, Darlin’?”

       The younger girl’s body trembled underneath her at the pet name. “ _Fuck_ \- _Yes_ ,” she stammered, feeling the dildo enter and exit her with ease now. 

       “Huh? You like my cock filling your tight pussy?” She let out a euphoric cry.

       This side of Nicole, wherever it came from, she _loved_ it. 

       “I love your fuckin’ cock, Nic,” she uttered, meeting Nicole’s movements with her own. Nicole lifted her body to sit up, gripping onto her hips as she began to drill faster into her girlfriend, a thin layer of sweat starting to cover her body. She grunted as the sound of her hips coming in contact with the back of her thighs filled the room. “You look so hot right now, it’s not fair.”

       Nicole laughed, grabbing onto her tits. “Yea?” She nodded, biting hard onto her lip. Nicole dropped forward again, forcing her tongue in her mouth, keeping her thrusts constant. “Tell me how hot I am when I drain every ounce of cum from your body.”

       Her eyes rolled back, Nicole’s name rolling off her tongue in a moan. “Keep doing that and you will,” she breathed, gripping the pillow behind her head.

       The redhead clutched her hips again, breathing picking up as she pounded her hips against her with bruising force. “This, Baby?” She panted. 

       “ _Oh-my-fucking-shit-Babe-don’t-stop_!” She gasped in between smacks. Nicole threw her head back, splaying one of her hands across her abs, pressing down into them. “I’m so close, Nic,” she whined as she watched blue pummel into her body like a blur. 

       The redhead let out a few strangled noises as her muscles all over her body tightened up, not letting any air in, lights flashing in front of her eyes. 

       Waverly felt her body clench around the toy, feeling her snapping into her at maximum speed as she clawed her short nails into the skin of her hips. The brunette's body jumped up once, going limp after as cries filed out of her mouth, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. 

       Nicole sucked a breath of air in after the best of it was over. She slowly stopped the roll of her hips, dropping forward onto the smaller girl, keeping the object buried inside her. Her chest rose and fell quickly, body trying to remember how to breathe again. She pushed a wad of sweaty hair out of her face, tapping her hand against Waverly’s chest. “You ‘kay?” She asked, still in a pant. 

       “ _Best_ . . . _ever_ ,” she heard whispered back to her after a few seconds. She laughed a little. 

       It took them a few minutes to full gather themselves again. “You can . . . pull it out now,” she sighed, crossing her arms over her forehead. Nicole reached down, easing the toy out of the smaller girl, feeling her shudder after it was completely removed.

       She unhooked the harness from her body, tossing it to the floor and rolling off of Waverly. “I’ma go get our bags and . . . then we can go swimming?”

       Waverly’s ears perked up. “Where?” 

       “In the pool,” she said with a smile. 

       “There’s a pool!?” 

       “There better be. I pay a pool cleaner.” She rolled her head to look at her with a megawatt smile. “Be right back, Love.” She crawled off the edge of the bed and threw her shirt and shorts on, heading downstairs. 

       Waverly was washing her face off in the bathroom when she heard her enter the bedroom, lugging both of their suitcases _and_ their carry-ons in. “You could have taken two trips, ya know?” Waverly laughed, walking back in and watching her plop it all onto the floor. 

       “I _really_ didn’t wanna do that,” she sighed. “Get your suit on and head out there. I need to wash off our _little friend_ still.” She blushed a little, setting her suitcase on the bed and unzipping it as Nicole walked out of the room. 

       Now outside in her bikini, throwing a towel on each of the chairs by the large in-ground pool, Waverly heard the sliding glass door slide open. Turning her head, her stomach flip-flopped at the sight of the Officer. She had a teal sports bra on with matching swim trunks. 

       But the _swim trunks._  

       The swim trunks were mid-thigh and _super_ tight. She had them settled just below the V of her abs. When she turned to close the door behind her, Waverly fell back onto the chair she was standing in front of. 

       Her _ass_. 

       The _definition_. 

 _Pure_. _greatness_. 

       “Nicole fucking Haught,” she said aloud without realizing it. 

       “Yes, Dear?” She asked as she walked closer to her.

       Waverly closed her gaping hole of a mouth and stood up. “ _This_ ,” she circled her finger around, pointing at the redhead, “is not allowed.” 

       “Why’s that?” She questioned, tipping her head when she stopped in front of her. 

       “Because! It’s too freaking sexy!” 

       “I could say the same thing about you . . .” she muttered, tracing her eyes over her white floral swimsuit.

       She smiled sweetly, taking each of her hands in her own. “I guess we are just very sexy people with very sexy bodies that wear very sexy swimsuits to show them off.”

       Nicole laughed, pulling her face in for a gentle kiss. “And you better help me put sunscreen on this _very_ _sexy_ body because sunburnt Nicole is _apparently_ no fun to be around.”

       Waverly giggled, taking the bottle from her hand. “Don’t be so ginger and we won’t have that problem.”

       She threw her a look over her shoulder as Waverly lathered up her back. “I’ll _throw_ you in that damn pool.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was smut
> 
> Lots of smut
> 
>  
> 
> Gimme some ideas for what they should do while they are in Vegas, who knows, maybe I'll use one of your ideas!


	44. That Beautiful Bright-Eyed Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WayHaught continues to have a good time on vacation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Sorry this one took so long, I was spending my last few days with Satan before we had to take her home. And by Satan I mean my sister. 
> 
> If y'all Earpers are into Harry Potter, go check her out @signed_aj  
> This isn't my most favorite that I have written. I feel like its kinda jumpy, but that's ok.
> 
> Anywho, enjoy!

       It always made Nicole’s heart hurt a little bit when she had to leave Waverly’s arms in the morning. Whether it was because she had to work out or because she had to go to work, she hated it. 

       Today, fortunately, was _not_ one of those days. 

       She woke, smiling as she felt the smaller girl’s back pressed into the curve of her front, getting a fresh smell of her shampoo with each breath she took. Nicole pulled her impossibly closer to her, hearing a light sigh come from her. She snuggled her head into the top of her’s and closed her eyes, falling back asleep after a few short minutes. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       A few hours later, the Officer’s eyes blinked open again, now finding herself as the little spoon. She flipped herself over, burying her face in her girlfriend’s chest. She felt the smaller girl hug her closer after a few seconds, so she scooted, clutching the front of her shirt. “My Wavey.”

       The brunette chuckled sleepily, tugging the quilt up to the redhead’s chin. “Your Wavey?” 

       “Mm.”

       She smiled, pushing a kiss into the top of her head. “I’m all yours, Cole,” she mumbled as they both dozed off again. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly opened her eyes, looking down at the sleeping redhead. She pushed her hand through the back of her hair, reaching behind her to feel around for one of their phones. She found one and clicked it on, gasping at the time. She guessed the mixture of the plane ride, hard sex, and playing in the pool with the hot sun’s rays shining down on them proved to be exhausting. They had trotted up to bed at about 6 the night before and it was now 3:30 in the afternoon. 

       “What’s wrong?” Nicole mumbled into her shirt. 

       “We just slept for like 20 hours, Nic.” 

       “Oops.” Waverly rolled to her back, stretching her legs out. “Nooo,” the redhead complained, reaching out for her.

       “What?” She asked, looking towards her. Nicole tugged at her sleeve, looking up at her with sad eyes. “What, Sweetie?” She asked again with a laugh, stroking her hand down her face. 

       “Come back,” she whined quietly. 

       “I’m right here,” she giggled. The redhead pushed her bottom lip up, furrowing her brow. She tutted, scooting closer to her, wrapping her arm around the redhead. “What’s wrong?” 

       “I just . . . want you,” she mumbled.

       Waverly ran her thumb in a circle in between her shoulder blades. “M’kay, Love,” she sighed. If a lazy cuddle day was what she wanted, that was what she was gonna get. 

       Three hours and eight positions later, they stumbled downstairs after ordering some Thai food. Waverly popped out the recliner and Nicole laid back onto her chest. She figured she could use this lazy day to get some school work done, much to Nicole’s objection. 

       “We’re on vacation, Wave,” she complained, tipping her head back to look at her. 

       “I knowwww. But I have a paper due in two weeks.” 

       “And that means you’ll have a week to do it when we get back.”

       Waverly groaned. “I don’t like waiting until the last minute.” 

       “Babe, a _week_ is _not_ last minute.”

       “To me it is,” she mumbled.

       Nicole pursed her lips, sighing through her nose. She let go of her hands, allowing her to open the laptop propped up on her stomach. It was her vacation too, and if she wanted to do some work during it, she had no place to try and stop her. “What’s this paper about?” She asked, watching her click around on the computer. 

       “Research paper about the tell-tale signs of child abuse,” she mumbled.

       Nicole blinked for a second, not realizing becoming a teacher could be so graphic. “Sounds . . . fun.”

       Waverly shut the lid of the laptop, setting it on the table next to them. “Yea, ya know, maybe that can wait,” she sighed.

       The Officer smiled, flipping over. “Much better,” she cooed, kissing the bottom of her jaw.

       The brunette leaned the chair back, pulling the redhead up higher so her head was right next to her’s. “We should do this more often.”

       “Do what?” 

       “ _Absolutely_ nothing.”

       Nicole chuckled, pulling her in for a kiss. “Good with me.” The smaller girl traced her finger down her chin, tipping her up for another kiss. “ _Very_ good with me,” she muttered. 

        They shared soft kisses for the next 20 minutes, only pulling away when they heard the doorbell ring, signaling that their food was there. Nicole grumbled a complaint as she crawled off the recliner, heading to go get the door. After paying and thanking the man, she set the bag down on the table in the living room, removing all of the containers from inside. “Wanna drink?” 

       “Ya, watcha got?”

       The redhead padded off to the kitchen, opening the fridge. “Uhhhm . . . beer . . . beer . . . annnd more beer. What’ll it be?” She questioned with a smirk, peeking her head around the corner.

       Waverly threw her a look. “I wonder?” She chuckled, heading back in and grabbing them each a can. “You and your damn Bud Light,” she grumbled as Nicole tossed her one. 

       “Dilly Dilly.” She cracked it open, tipping it to her with a wink before taking a drink. 

       “You are _so_ freaking weird.” 

       “Hey, you better be grateful. I’m breaking the law for you.”

       Waverly cocked an eyebrow. “And how’s that?” 

       “You, My Dear, are _underage_ ,” she informed, pointing at her with the end of her fork.

       The brunette propped her arms up on the table. “How do you mean?” She asked, tilting her head. 

       “Legal age is 21. And you are not.”

       Waverly grabbed her purse off of the couch that she was leaning back into, pulling her wallet out. She tossed a card at the taller girl. “I _do_ believe I am 23,” she corrected, wiggling her brows at her.

       Nicole slowly looked up at her after reading over the card, jaw popped open. “You did _not_ get a fake ID.” 

       “Oh, but I did,” she smirked. 

       “Waverly Earp,” she tutted, shaking her head with a small smile. 

       “Did you _really_ think I would come here knowing I couldn’t drink?” 

       “I dunno, I figured you forgot,” she shrugged. She looked over the card again. “I’m honestly impressed, this looks legit . . . _Casey Douglas_.”

       She squinted at her. “You realize my sister is a _felon_ , right?”

       Her eyes widened. “Wynonna did this?” 

       “She has her . . . _connections_.” Nicole shook her head again, tossing the card back to her. They dug into their first meal at the condo, chatting about nonsense, food being flicked on more than one occasion by both parties. 

       “Earp, do that again and you’ll pay for it,” Nicole warned, wiping rice off of her face with a laugh.

       Waverly giggled, but it slowly faded as she got lost in thought. “Nic?” 

       “Hmm?” 

       “Do you . . . Do you ever think I’ll find out who my real father is?”

       The Officer immediately stopped chewing, looking up at her with her jaw unhinged, mouth closed. She swallowed, clearing her throat. “I mean . . . I don’t know . . . Do you want to?”

       The brunette leaned her head back onto the couch. “Yea, kinda. I’ve been researching the Earp family history my whole life just to find out it's not even mine.”

       Nicole sighed, heart twinging a little. “Just because you’re not an Earp by _blood_ doesn’t make you any less an _Earp_ ,” she defended.

       Waverly shrugged. “Still. There’s a whole half of me I know absolutely _nothing_ about.”

       Nicole crawled around to the other end of the table, kneeling in front of her and cupping the side of her face. “Listen to me. You are _no_ different than who you were _before_ you found out about the DNA tests. You’re still that beautiful bright-eyed girl that I fell in love with and _nothing_ can change that. It doesn’t matter who this guy is because he didn’t have _anything_ to do with who you grew up to be. If you want to try and find out who he is or was, that’s totally ok. But just remember that _you_ are _Waverly Earp_ no matter what.”

       The younger girl slowly met her eyes up through her lashes. “I see why Wynonna calls you a walking bumper sticker now,” she mumbled with a small smile tugging at her lips.

       Nicole smiled sweetly at her, running her thumb along her cheek “I guess I am,” she shrugged lightly, dropping her hand back to her lap, picking at her finger. 

       “That’s what I love about you,” she said, nudging her knee. Nicole looked up at her with a blush. “You’ve got a way with words, Haught Shit.”

       She covered her face with a groan. “Oh god!” Waverly giggled, pulling her hands away. “I wanted one week away from that! _One_ week!” 

       “Oh please, I know you two talk _every_ day,” Waverly said, giving her a knowing look.

       She scrunched her face up. “Sending each other cute animal videos on Instagram is not considered _talking every day_ ,” she retorted.  

       “ _And_ when you gush about them to each other for an hour? That's not talking either?”

       The Officer pursed her lips, pushing herself up off the ground and grabbing a container of noodles before she sat back down on her side of the table. “How do you even know that?” She questioned quietly. 

       “Because you show me _every single one_.”

       Nicole stuck a forkful into her mouth, chewing slowly. “Cause they’re cute,” she mumbled.

       Waverly was quiet for a few seconds. “Yea, ok, they are pretty cute,” she admitted. The redhead smiled, fork hanging out of her mouth. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Unlike the previous morning, Waverly woke up to an empty bed. She took a few minutes to wake up before crawling out of bed in search of her girlfriend’s whereabouts. She wasn’t in the living room, wasn’t in the bathroom, wasn’t in the kitchen. She was just about to text her when she heard metal clanking from down the hall. She cocked an eyebrow, heading down it and opening the door, finding just the lady she was looking for. 

       Hot and sweaty in a sports bra and shorts lifting weights. 

       She let out a sigh as she leaned against the doorframe. She had walked in on her working out before. But it had only been when she was running or doing sit-ups. Why she had never seen her doing anything else, she didn’t know. _But_. What she did know was that she could stand there and watch her do this _all day long_. 

       So she did. 

       The Deputy let out a heavy breath as she set the dumbbells down onto the rack, turning to grab her water bottle. It was then that she saw a figure at the doorway, immediately recognizing it as Waverly.

       She stood up straight, pulling her earbuds out and pursing her lips. “How long have you been standing there?” She asked, wiping her face off with a towel. 

       “About . . . 10 minutes?”

       Nicole shook her head with a laugh as she walked towards her. “And did you enjoy yourself?” She gave her a brief kiss, heading down the hall and back upstairs. 

       “I did,” she confirmed. 

       “ _Stalker_ ,” she mumbled.

       Waverly gave her a shove up the last step. “It’s _called_ getting turned on by my _extremely_ hot girlfriend doing some _extremely_ hot curl-ups.” She squeezed on her biceps from behind as Nicole pulled some clean clothes out of her suitcase. “Which, _by the way_ , seem to be working.” 

       After Nicole’s hand got better, she began working really hard on her physical fitness. And Miss Waverly had no complaints _whatsoever_ after slowly watching the results. 

       Nicole chuckled, walking off to the bathroom. “Oh trust me, Baby. I know,” she assured with a devilish smirk, flexing in the mirror.  

       “Get in the shower, Jockstrap.” 

       The redhead pushed a hand to her heart. “Ouch!” She shook her head as they both began to strip out of their clothes, climbing in the shower.

       Waverly ran her hands up the taller girl’s back, massaging her shoulders, feeling the tightness slowly release. “What’re we doing today?” She questioned through Nicole’s moans and groans as she worked her way down her back. 

       “You’ll see.” 

       “Nic,” she warned. 

       “Beg all you want. I’m not telling you.” 

       “Fineee,” she groaned heavily. She worked her way down Nicole’s arms and dropped to a knee, getting her calves. She looked up at the redhead with a smirk.

       Let’s just say her back wasn’t the only thing massaged during that shower. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole was now dressed in a black and grey tye-dyed Fall Out Boy shirt, black skinny jean shorts, and a grey beanie. She stood brushing her teeth in the mirror as Waverly walked back in from getting dressed. “This look fine?” She asked. Nicole’s eyes traced over her body, toothbrush falling from her mouth, clattering around at the bottom of the sink. 

       She had a tight navy crop top tank with overall shorts over it and one of Nicole’s blue flannels (that she had _borrowed_ about 2 months ago) hanging over her shoulders. 

       “Ye-yea, looks a-amazing, W-Waves,” she stammered, face blushing.

       Waverly smirked, hopping up on the counter and wrapping her arms around her neck, kissing her deeply. “I don’t know why I even ask anymore,” she chuckled.

       “It’s honestly really pointless,” she hummed into her lips. They pulled away and Waverly tugged at the ends of her hair coming out from under the beanie. “You ready to get going?” She nodded with a smile, so Nicole lifted her off the counter, setting her on the ground with a kiss. She pulled the keys out of her pocket, walking out of the bathroom and spinning it around on her finger. “Let’s roll!” Waverly giggled, grabbing her purse as they walked out the door. 

       “How long is this drive?” She questioned as Nicole backed out of the driveway. 

       “You’ll find out.”

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Nicole. We have been driving for an _hour_ ,” Waverly complained. 

       “Yea?” 

       “An hour _through the desert_!”

       Nicole looked towards her, blinking under her sunglasses. “Baby Doll, couldya be a dear and tell me what that sign says right there,” she drawled, tipping her head forward.

       Waverly cocked an eyebrow, looking towards it, eyes slowly widening. “WE’RE GOING TO CALIFORNIA?!?!?!”  

       “No. We’re _in_ California,” she corrected. 

       “OH MY GOD, I’M IN CALIFORNIA!” She took hold of the brunette’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “Wait, where are we going, though?”

       “Nunya beeswax.” Waverly threw her a look, but it quickly disappeared as she remembered that she was in _California_. 

       Her eyes were glued to the window for the last 2 hours of their ride. Nicole swore she watched her almost have a heart attack as the skyline filled with skyscrapers and the sides of every road had palm trees.

       They passed a Welcome sign and the smaller girl dug her fingers into the redhead’s arm so hard they almost went all the way through. “LOS ANGELES??!??!?!”  

       “Was it worth the drive now?” She asked with a smile, tugging her arm away. 

       “YES! OH MY- I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!” Nicole took her hand, kissing her knuckles. 

       They took a drive through the heart of LA, heading towards Hollywood. Nicole parked up on a hill and they got someone to take a bunch of cutsey pictures of them in front of the Hollywood sign. After that, they got lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and walked the Walk of Fame. 

       “I never thought I’d see this is real life,” Waverly admitted, swinging their arms. 

       “And here you are . . . walking on . . .” She looked down at Waverly’s feet. “Adam Sandler.” Waverly laughed, leaning into her. 

       They made their way back to the car a little while later. “Now where to?” The brunette asked. 

       “Do you _really_ think I am going to tell you that?” Waverly sighed, leaning against the window.

       Her attention was regained 30 minutes later when she saw a hint of blue in the distance. “Nic?” 

       “Hmm?”

       “Is that?”

       “Mhm.”

       “Are we?”

       “Mhm.”

       Her eyes widened, jaw hitting the floor. Nicole beamed at her. “But I don’t have a-” 

       “They’re in the back,” she informed. They entered Venice Beach and Nicole pulled up to a beach house. 

       “Are we staying here tonight!?” 

       “We are,” she smirked. Waverly gasped, jumping out of the car, tracing her eyes across the shoreline.

       Nicole walked around, wrapping her arm around her waist. “Amazing, right?” She asked quietly. 

       “Yea . . .” She breathed out. Nicole smiled, kissing her temple. “Can we go?”

       “No. You’re not allowed to.”

       She looked up at her, furrowing her brows. “Why?” 

       She snorted. “I’m kidding, c’mon.”

       Waverly tutted, smacking her arm. “Don’t do that to me!” She chuckled as she grabbed a bag for each of them out of the trunk. “So _this_ is why I couldn’t find my Lion King shirt this morning. You snatched it.” 

       “Are you _really_ that mad, though?” She asked, pushing the front door of the beach house open.

       Waverly scanned her eyes around the main room. “N-No, not at all.” She didn’t even want to know how much she had spent to rent it for the night. They found the bedroom and Waverly was already changed into her bikini before Nicole took her shirt off. “Hurry up!” She complained, chucking her trunks at her face. 

       “I’m hurrying!” 

       Waverly huffed, walking over to the glass doors and stepping out onto the balcony. She had heard all of Nicole’s stories and descriptions of the ocean. She had seen pictures and videos of it. But nothing could compare to the sight in front of her. 

       Nicole stepped out with her a few minutes later, leaning forward onto the white railing. “Why do you spoil me so much?” The brunette questioned.

       She looked towards her, raising her eyebrows. “I don’t.” 

       “You call _this_ not spoiling me?”

       Nicole turned to face her. “ _This_ is what you deserve,” she asserted. “Well, _technically_ you deserve the world, but this is the best I can do.”

       Waverly blushed, looking down bashfully. “Quit,” she mumbled, hugging her arms around herself. 

       The Deputy took a step forward, tilting her chin up. “It’s true,” she shrugged with a smile. The brunette shook her head, turning away. Nicole turned her back gently, hand resting on her hip. “It is true, Wave.”

       She shook her head again. “I’m not that special, Nicole.”

       She widened her eyes. “Waverly, you are _the most_  specialist thing _ever_ , don’t you even.”

       She looked up at her through her lashes. “You really love me, don’t you?”

       “More than you know,” she smiled, pulling her in for a kiss. 

       They made their way down the beach, finding a spot to put all their things. Nicole tossed Waverly the bottle of sunscreen with a wink. “Come here,” she sighed. The redhead chuckled, sitting down on the towel in front of her. “The sun is gonna set right in front of us, isn’t it?” She asked, looking up at the 5 o’clock sun. 

       “It’s literally the coolest thing ever,” she answered excitedly. Waverly smiled, finishing up with her sunscreen. 

       “Come on! Come on! Come on!” 

       “Hold on!” Nicole grumbled, tucking their phones and wallets underneath their towels. “Unless you prefer your things stolen.” The younger girl scoffed, taking her hand when she stood up straight, dragging her along. She came to an abrupt halt a foot away from the water. “What?” Nicole asked, confused about what just happened.

       “There's no sharks, is there?”

       She smiled, shaking her head. “They don’t let you swim if there are sharks, Love.”

       “Are you sure?” She asked, an uncertain look in her eye.

       “Yes, I’m sure. It’s ok.” She squeezed her hands a few times, slowly walking her into the water. Once she watched the smile slowly rip her face in half, she let go of her hand. “C’mon!” She began to run in a trot farther out into the water, diving into it when it got deep enough. 

       “I’m dating a 7-year-old,” she sighed, shaking her head as she followed her out there, watching her pop back up after a few seconds. “Was that fun?” She asked with a goofy smile.

       She didn’t like the smirk on her face. 

       “How about you find out?” She was going to question her but wasn’t able to. Nicole charged at her, tackling her into the water. She let out a shriek when her head came back up above the surface of the water. She opened her eyes, finding the redhead laughing as she pushed the hair out of her face, arms still wrapped around her body. 

       “That was mean!” 

       “No, that was funny!” She shook her head with a laugh, crashing their lips together. Nicole pulled them both to their feet. “Do you wanna go out farther?” She questioned. The water was only at about high-waist level now. 

       “Race ya!” Waverly dove into the water, swimming quickly away from the redhead. Nicole laughed, diving after her. After several seconds, Nicole popped to her feet and latched onto the shorter girl’s ankles, preventing her from going any farther. She flipped her to her back, pulling her backward. Waverly let out a squeal as Nicole pushed her feet behind her back, lifting her up. The water was at her shoulders now. 

       “I win,” she smirked.

       “No, no.” She unhooked her ankles, dropping back to the ocean floor. “You know what the fun part about water is?” 

       “What’s that?” Nicole asked. She tugged her forward and lifted her up, arms crossing under her butt. The redhead giggled, hugging her arms around her neck. “So, this is what you feel like all the time.”

       Waverly laughed, giving her a loving kiss. “Fun, right?” 

       “Very,” she confirmed with a grin. She gave her another kiss, pulling her down as she fell backward in the water. 

       They continued to mess around in the water for a few more hours, watching the sun slowly set. The sky was painted with reds and purples blended with yellows and oranges. They both agreed that it was the prettiest one they had _ever_ seen. 

       “How’s it even do that?” Nicole asked in amazement. 

       “I don’t think you want me to actually explain it,” Waverly pointed out. Nicole smiled, hoisting her up for the hundredth time that day. Waverly tangled her hands in her hair. They were standing in about thigh-deep water now. 

       “I’d rather think of it as magical,” she admitted.

       Waverly nodded in agreement. “It is pretty magical,” she sighed. Nicole looked up at her with heart eyes. The brunette moved her hands, draping one lightly around her neck, other cupping her jaw. The Officer surged forward, kissing her with every drop of affection she could pour out. 

       They slowly made their way back to the shore, plopping down onto their towels. As they were bickering over what they should have for dinner, Nicole noticed someone approaching them in the distance. She kept talking to the brunette, but pulled her switchblade out from under the towel, holding it just in case.

       “I guess I’ll starve then. I only want pizza- _What_?” She noticed her fiddling with it in her hand. Nicole met her worried eyes. She tipped her head in the man’s direction. “Ok?”

       “People do that. Walk the beach at nighttime. Makes it easier for them to mug people.” 

       “And how do you know that?” 

       “Cause I’ve had it happen before. Twice.”

       Waverly widened her eyes. “Oh,” she mumbled. They looked back, seeing the guy still walking towards them. Nicole stood up. “No, Nic, don’t.” 

       “I’m gonna go see what his deal is.” The smaller girl swallowed nervously. 

       “Let’s just go back to the house,” she suggested, standing up. 

       “Yea, and let him go rob someone else? I don’t think so.”

       She turned her palms up. “That’s not our problem.”

       The Officer tipped her head at her. “If I can prevent it then it is."

       “Seriously, Nicole. Let’s just leave, ok?” 

       “No, I’m not gonna-” They had been too distracted to notice that the guy was standing right behind Nicole. And she had heard him breathing. She spun, flicking the blade out and pressing it to his neck, staring into his wide eyes. “What do you want?” She growled. He put his hands up, one holding a phone. He seemed to be in shock, unable to speak. She dropped her hand and he swallowed heavily. “What?” She asked again, calmer this time. 

       “Are you gonna stab me?” He asked shakily.

       He seemed to be drop-dead terrified, so she figured he was no threat. “Not unless you try something stupid,” she answered warningly. He nodded, putting his hands down. Waverly peeked out from behind the Officer, still holding herself close to the curve of her back. 

       “You’re probably going to think I am a creep or something, but I swear I’m not . . .” He held up the camera hanging around his neck. “I was taking pictures of the sunset and when I looked through them, I saw that you two were in the middle of most of them. I was just wondering if you wanted them maybe?”

       Waverly popped out from behind Nicole, squeezing between her and the man. “I wanna see!” She exclaimed.

       Nicole wrapped a strong arm around her front, tugging her closer to her chest. She still wasn’t fully trusting this guy. “Sure, let’s see ‘em,” she agreed. He nodded, pulling out his phone and pointing it towards them, swiping through about 5 pictures where Nicole was holding Waverly when they were kissing. 

       “Aww,” Waverly cooed, looking up at the smiling redhead. 

       “Can you airdrop them to me?” She asked. 

       “Yea, totally.” He clicked around, doing so. “Sorry for . . . almost getting my throat slit,” he said with a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. 

       “She just gets _paranoid_ ,” Waverly sighed, turning to look at her. The older girl stuck her tongue out. “Thanks again,” she said with a smile, looking back to the man. He nodded with a wave, walking off. She turned around to the redhead, who was picking up their stuff. She walked toward her, running her fingers down her arm. “Look at you . . . being all scary.”

       She threw her a look, handing her the towels. “Sorry . . . I just always picture the worst,” she mumbled as they walked back.

       Waverly hung on her arm. “I know, it’s ok. It’s a good thing actually. You’re always prepared.”  

       “I guess so,” she sighed, pushing the front door open. “So . . . what kind of pizza did you want?” She asked with a smirk. 

       After changing back into her clothes from earlier in the day, she left the house with the brunette’s pizza order. She had insisted to just get it delivered there, but Nicole said it’d be faster for her to just go and pick it up. So that’s what she did. 

       Though, her reasoning for leaving was a lie.

       She walked out of the gas station she stopped at and leaned against the Lambo, looking down at the box in her hand. “Hello, old friend,” she sighed, pulling one of the white tubes out of the box and lighting it up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruh Roh


	45. We All Have Our Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole's in her feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo!
> 
> Ya'll seemed worried about Nicole. 
> 
> I'm glad I popped out this chapter pretty quick for ya'll. It sucks kinda, but oh well.

       Tossing the butt away, she popped a piece of gum in her mouth and sprayed a few puffs of her perfume on herself, climbing back in the car. 

       Smoking was a shameful habit she picked up after her Aunt Liz died. She had been sulking on a park bench and someone offered her one. Lo and behold, within a few days, she was hooked. And _oh boy_ the earful she got when her _doctor_ wife found out 2 months later. It was bad enough to drive her to quit. But around the two hardest days for her every year, she usually went through a pack or two. She didn’t even like them. She hated them. Hated the taste, the feeling. But it was the only thing that seemed to help keep her sane. 

       She already knew this was a secret she wanted to keep far, _far_ away from Waverly. 

       Pulling up to the beach house, she grabbed the pizza box and the case of soda she picked up, heading up to the door. She kicked it with her foot a few times and the brunette answered, towel wrapped around the top of her head from her shower. “Delivery,” she chortled in a horrible British accent.

       Waverly scrunched her face together, taking the pizza from her hand. “Dork,” she mumbled with a laugh, walking towards the kitchen.

       Nicole set the root beer in the fridge, grabbing them each one first. “I’m gonna go shower, I feel like ocean. Go ahead and eat without me.” 

       Waverly looked at her with sad eyes, taking the can from her outstretched hand. “Can’t you wait?” She asked quietly. 

       Nicole touched the box in her back pocket. “Uhm . . . Yea, I guess,” she said with a shrug. “Let me go plug my phone in, though.” She nodded, so the Deputy rushed up the stairs and set the box and lighter behind a plant on the balcony, knowing you couldn’t see it if you weren’t looking for it. She plugged her phone in and walked back downstairs, sitting across from her girlfriend. 

       “Are you ok?” The smaller asked, eyeing her. 

       She plopped a slice onto her plate, looking up at her. “Yea, I’m fine. Why?” 

       Waverly shook her head. “I don’t know, you’re being weird,” she mumbled. 

       Nicole shrugged again. “I’m fine, Love,” she assured with a smile. Lying to her gave her the worst pit in her stomach, but she shook it off. Everything would be back to normal by the time they got back to Purgatory. 

       “Ook,” she sighed. The swing of conversation quickly went back to normal after a few minutes. They finished up their dinner and Waverly dropped down on the couch to watch some TV. 

       “I’m gonna shower now, Babe,” Nicole informed, standing behind her with her hands on her shoulders. 

       Waverly tipped her head back. “M’kay. Kiss?” 

       She smiled, leaning forward and giving her one before heading upstairs. She sighed as she got drawn out onto the balcony. Snatching up the box, she propped her feet up on the table. She lit one and took a long pull of it, watching the fiery end glow against the night sky. 

       She wasn’t _fine_. When she remembered that her aunt’s anniversary was in two days earlier, it really hit her like a ton of bricks. After she died, she was a _total_ _mess_. She started drinking all the time. She started smoking. Hell, she basically stopped eating for a little while. The only reason she didn’t totally lose her mind was because she had a wife that she could use to, though she hated to admit it, screw her feelings out. And that’s how the first 2 months of their relationship went. She’d go to Academy, come home, drink, and they’d have sex. Over and over. Night after night. And when her dad’s anniversary came around that year, it only got worse. 

       Shae finally put an end to it all when she came home with smoke on her breath and half a pack in her pocket. She had been too drunk to remember to hide it. And Nicole did have to admit that if it wasn’t for her, she didn’t know what would have happened to her. She got her to stop smoking. She got her to cut back on her drinking. She was there for her to talk about everything she was going through. Nicole was basically throwing her life away. And Shae was there to put her back together. 

       The next year with no Shae around was quite hard. That week she went back to her old ways. Drinking, smoking, sleeping around. She got her shit together all until it went crashing down again a month later on her dad’s anniversary. But she set herself straight. Knocked it into her head that she was stronger than that. She was better than that. The following year was better. Yea, she smoke. Drank a little. But she kept it together. She told herself that she would _have_ to keep it together. 

       And now. Here she was. Sitting in front of the Pacific Ocean with a root beer in her left hand and a cigarette in the other. She _was_ doing better, she did have to admit that. Last year, she would have already blown through 4 packs by now. But, then again. This year she had someone to hide it from. 

       She took one last draw, dropping the end to the floor and stomping it out. She blew out a puff of smoke through her nose, bending down and tossing it off the balcony. She opened the glass door, stepping into the house and heading off the shower to wash the stink of fish pee off of her. 

**.  .  .**

       Waverly smiled, hearing her girlfriend trotting down the steps. She looked over, finding her in the flannel she had worn earlier unbuttoned over her bra and briefs. “I thought you drowned or something,” she said with a laugh as she plopped down next to her. They switched positions and the smaller girl leaned back into her. 

       “How do you drown in a shower?” Nicole questioned. 

       Waverly turned around, tracing a finger down her lips. “Shhhhh.” She tipped her head up, leaning into a kiss. “Minty,” she chuckled. 

       Nicole smiled, pulling her higher up on her lap. “Beer-y,” she replied, tasting the bitter substance on her lips. 

       “You took too long and I got bored,” she mumbled into her lips. 

       “I didn’t even know we had beer here,” she admitted. 

       “I found a whole case in the cupboard.” 

       “I see,” she drawled. She lifted her up and laid her on her back, slipping in between her legs. Waverly let out a moan as her front came in contact with her core. 

       She was somewhat shocked at the rate the Officer was mashing their lips together. She had barely enough time to realize that her lips were on her’s before she was pulling back and going in for another. So much so, it took her a second to realize that a tongue was being shoved in her mouth. Was she complaining? No, not really. If a fast-paced make-out session was what she was feeling up for that was fine. 

       It wasn’t until she felt a drop of wetness hit her cheek that she pushed her back. “Nic, stop,” she breathed, pushing her hands against her shoulders. She let out a grumble, pulling her hands away, forcing her mouth back on her’s. She tried again. “Nicole, seriously.” She slid backward, sitting up a bit. Looking up at her, she saw the tears slowly rolling down her face. “Baby, what is it?” She asked quietly, grabbing her hand and rubbing her thumb across the top. 

       Nicole stood up, pulling her hand away. “Nothing. Just give me a minute,” she mumbled, heading for the steps.

       The brunette got up to follow her. “Baby, c’mon. Don’t shut me out.” 

       She spun around, pushing a hand against her chest. “I’m not. I just need a minute,” she said, maybe a little too forceful for her liking. 

       Waverly looked up at her for a second before stepping back. “Ok,” she sighed. “I’ll be here when you’re ready.” 

       Nicole nodded, quickly rushing up the steps. She covered her mouth at the top, leaning forward, bracing herself against her knee. _What the fuck is wrong with you? Can you seriously not handle yourself anymore?_ She let out a sob, standing up straight and heading to the balcony. She pushed her hands through her hair. _All she wants is to fucking help and look at you, running from your problems. Just like you always do._ Scanning her eyes around, she growled, snatching up the empty can she had forgotten out there, crushing it in her hand. She dropped it, looking down at the cut down her palm she had just gotten. _Go do it. What you always do_. She wiped her face with the flannel, lighting up again. When the smoke hit her lungs, she felt herself start to calm down. That’s how she got hooked in the first place, after all. The immediate relief she felt. Wrapping her arms around herself, she sat down in the corner of the balcony, pulling her knees to her chest. 

**___**

       Waverly was more than confused. She had never seen Nicole do _anything_ like that before. Usually when something was bothering her she’d own up to it. Talk to her about what was going on. There had been a few times where she would have to pull it out of her, but that was about it. Whatever this was had been bothering her for a while. She could tell when she tried to avoid her when she got home. 

       The worst part was that she had no clue what was going on. Nothing had happened unless she was weirdly worked up over that photographer dude. They were on vacation, for fuck’s sake. She was running things over in her head, trying to think of something. Was it something she did? No. She hadn’t done anything. 

       And then it hit her.

       Aunt Liz.

       The reason they were there in the first place. 

       How could she have forgotten? She hadn’t _once_ asked how she was doing. If she was ok. The guilt hit her like a freight train. She let out a helpless groan, pushing herself up off the couch, slumping to the fridge to grab her third beer for the night.

       She didn’t even like Corona. 

**___**

       Nicole spat the mouthwash into the sink, rinsing her mouth out a few times. She looked up at herself in the bathroom mirror. She looked horrible. Her eyes were sunken in and she had tear stains all over her face. Her hair was a mess. Then again, she was a mess, so what did it matter? She peeled the wad of toilet paper off her hand and threw it away, sulking back downstairs. Waverly looked up at her glumly from the couch. She stopped at the bottom of the steps, clutching her arms to her chest, contemplating just going back upstairs. _You promised_. With a sigh, she walked over, grabbing the bottle of beer she saw sitting on the table and dropping down onto the opposite end of the couch, chugging it in one go. 

       “Would you come here?” Waverly begged. The redhead looked up at her like a kid who just got in trouble. “Please?” The concern in her eyes made Nicole break down again. She dropped her head to her knees, sobs racking through her. Waverly’s heart shattered. She pushed herself up, moving over to her and pulling her into her arms. 

       “I’m sorry,” she blubbered. 

       “Shh, you’re ok.” The redhead wrapped her arms tightly around her, sobbing incoherent words into her chest. Waverly grabbed her hand, standing up. She winced, pulling it back. The brunette furrowed her brow, taking it again, seeing the cut this time. “Baby, what’d you do?” She asked softly. Nicole shook her head, curling tighter around herself. She sighed, getting her to her feet. “Let’s go to bed, alright?” 

       With some trouble, she got the Deputy up the steps and laid down on the bed. She curled up on her when she laid down herself. “I can’t do it,” she bawled. 

       Waverly shook her head. “Yes, you can, Love. She wouldn’t have wanted you hurting like this. You gotta tell me what’s going on.” 

       Another round of sobs shook through her. She clutched herself tightly to Waverly’s chest. “I . . . I don’t wanna go back to how I was after it. Y-You can’t see me like that.” 

       She closed her eyes. “Like what?” She really wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer if it had her this worked up.

       “No,” she mumbled. “I can’t- No.” 

       She sighed, running her fingers through her tangled hair. “Whatever it was, whatever you did, I don’t care. We all have our demons, Baby.” 

       Nicole let out a shaky sigh, closing her eyes. “I just want to sleep,” she whispered, rolling off of her, curling into her side. Waverly turned to face her, wiping her thumbs under her eyes. “I love you,” she mumbled. 

       She leaned in, giving her a gentle kiss. “I love you, too.” Nicole forced a small smile, one last tear running down her cheek. Waverly pulled her close, tugging the blanket up over her, hearing her breathing steady out after a few minutes. 

**.  .  .**

       “WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!” Waverly’s eyes popped open, finding the redhead jumping up and down on the bed. 

       “Whattt?” She grumbled, covering her face with the blanket.

       Nicole plopped down next to her, ripping it down. “WE’RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND!” 

       She blinked up at her chipper face. “What?” This was not how she expected to wake up this morning after the night before. 

       “WE. ARE GOING TO THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH! C’MON, WAVE!” She jumped over her and off the bed, tugging on her arm. 

       “Disneyland?” She mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she sat up. 

       “UH-HUH!” 

       Waverly suddenly came to. “Disneyland?!” She repeated, a big smile creeping up her face. 

       “C’mon!” She stood up from the floor and tossed her bag at her. Waverly giggled, quickly changing into some clean clothes, which ironically happened to include that Lion King shirt. “I’ma start the car. Bring all your stuff out when you are ready.” Waverly nodded, giving her a kiss before she walked out. 

       The Officer went outside, turning the key in the ignition of the Lambo. She stepped back out of the car and walked back to the trunk, grabbing the pack out of her pocket. She pulled a cigarette out and lit it, eyes locked on the window upstairs. 

       A minute later, she saw the light go off. She tossed what was left of it away and popped some more gum in her mouth, spraying herself down before walking casually up to the front of the car, leaning back onto the hood. Waverly came out, bag in tow. Nicole walked up to meet her, taking it with a smile. “I got it.” Waverly smiled at her, kissing her cheek as a thank you before she climbed in the car. Nicole shoved the bag in the trunk, taking a steady breath before joining her in the car. “So. I thought we should get well prepared for this trip.” 

       Waverly looked to her with her eyebrows raised. “And how’s that?” 

       Nicole pushed a button on her phone, You’ve Got a Friend in Me immediately playing through the speakers. “With some music, of course!” The brunette beamed at her, pulling her in for a kiss. She backed out of the driveway, both saying a silent goodbye to the ocean as they traveled farther inland. 

**.  .  .**

       “OHMYGODISEEIT!” Waverly exclaimed, practically jumping out of her car seat. 

       “I’ve never been here, so this will be an adventure for both of us,” Nicole admitted. 

       They pulled into the park and found a parking spot. Waverly barrelled out of the car, yanking on her arm. “C’mon, Nic!!” 

       “Ow, my arm doesn’t bend like that!” She sputtered. Waverly loosened her grip a little, wincing an apology. She climbed out of the car, taking her hand and they walked, more or less ran, through the entrance. The younger girl’s eyes were as wide as could be looking around at all the characters and shops.

       She suddenly grabbed onto Nicole’s hips. “Can we get ears?!” 

       Nicole laughed, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. “You can get _whatever_ you want, Love.” 

       “Really?” She squeaked. The redhead nodded with a smile. She jumped up into her arms and Nicole caught her, hugging her waist. “I love you so much, Nic,” she gushed.

       “I love you, too, Baby,” she laughed, setting her back on the ground. “Ok. Where to first?”

**.  .  .**

       The girls had scoured almost the whole park by nightfall. They had fit in as many rides as they could. And, needless to say, they were exhausted. Running around a theme park all day will certainly do that to you. 

       “You ready to call it a day, Babe?” Nicole asked the girl hanging on her arm. 

       “Yea,” she said with a yawn. 

       “Ok, let’s go,” she chuckled. They made their way out the entrance of the park, getting one more photo with Goofy. “I can go get the car and pick you up here if you want?” 

       “You sure?” She asked a little uncertain, even though she knew she didn’t want to have to walk all the way back out to the car. 

       “Yea, it’s fine. I’ll be right back.” She gave her a kiss and straightened her Minnie ears before walking off to find the car. 

       She had managed to make it through the whole day without smoking, and she was pretty proud of herself for it. Sure, she had thought about making up an excuse to head out to the car a few times, but they were having too much fun and she didn’t want to waste the time they had there. Finally able to light one up, she checked behind her, making sure that her girlfriend was too far away to see her before she pulled one out. 

       She reached the car a few minutes later and she took a couple of long drags to finish it up, dropping it to the ground and stomping it out. She coughed a few times as she got in the car, doing her new ritual of shoving a piece of gum in her mouth and dousing herself in perfume. 

       Pulling up beside the brunette, she unlocked the door and she climbed in. “Hey,” she smiled with a cough. 

       “Hi,” Waverly smiled. Nicole coughed a few more times as she pulled away. “You ok?” 

       “Yea, I’m good,” she ensured with a smile. “I have to ask . . .” 

       “Ask what?”  

       “Is this actually . . . The Happiest Place on Earth?” 

       Waverly giggled, kissing her knuckles. “I think it is, yea.” Nicole beamed, nodding her head in agreement. She couldn’t help but feel the tightness in her chest that had been lingering with her, coughing a few more times. “Are you sure you’re ok, Nic? You’ve been coughing all day.” 

       She looked towards her with a shrug. “Yea, I’m fine. Must be allergies or something.”  

       “Better not be getting sick on me,” she sighed. The redhead smiled, cupping her hand over the smaller girl’s. 

       She wasn’t excited for the three-hour drive ahead of her. It was already 8 o’clock and she was pretty exhausted from her long day. She let out a sigh, leaning back in her seat, turning the radio on low. 

       An hour into the drive, she noticed Waverly had fallen asleep curled up on the seat. She gently removed her ears that had fallen in front of her face, setting them on her lap. She took off her own as well, feeling the small headache creeping up from the constant pressure they were putting on the sides of her head. Biting the side of her cheek as she looked over at her, she pulled the car over to the side of the road, digging the pack out of her pocket and stepping out of the car. “Damn,” she mumbled, seeing it was the last one. She figured she’d pick up another one before they got back to the condo. 

       She finished it up, climbing back into the car and pulling out onto the open road. She was scared for the next day. She didn’t know how she’d handle it. She wanted to be strong for Waverly because she didn’t like showing her weak sides. But she wasn’t so sure that she could this time. And going to her grave. She was a mess each time. With a sigh, she flipped through the stations, trying to find something to brighten up her mood a little. 

**.  .  .**

       Nicole let out a breath of relief as she pulled into the driveway of the condo. It had been a long ass drive and she was ready for bed. She got out of the car and walked around, unbuckling the smaller girl and lifting her out of the seat, carrying her inside and up to bed. “Cole,” Waverly mumbled as Nicole pulled the covers over her. 

       “Go back to sleep, Babe,” she whispered, kissing her forehead. 

       “Where you goin’?” 

       “I’m getting our bags out of the car. Night, Love,” she whispered. 

       “Mm.” She fell back to sleep within seconds, so Nicole walked back outside, deciding to smoke once more before bed. She felt like one of those old lowlifes that did nothing but smoke. That’s all her brain thought about at this point, though. 

       Walking back inside, she tossed their bags on the floor and threw the full pack into her suitcase. She took her shorts off and plopped onto the bed, passing out after a few minutes. 

**.  .  .**

       Waverly woke up with a yawn, flipping over onto her stomach. Her eyes slowly opened, finding herself in an empty bed. She figured she was down working out again. 

       Shit. 

       July 2nd. 

       Worried was an understatement. Nicole’s freak out from the other night scared her. Especially with what she said about not wanting to go back to _how she was_ right after she died. She decided she really wanted to know what happened at this point, but she knew Nicole wouldn’t tell her. It really wasn’t her business. But something really bad must have happened. And she wanted to know what it was.

       Guilt streamed through her blood as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. 

**Waverly Earp: Hey, Shae**

**Shae Pressman: Hey, what’s up?**

**Waverly Earp: I feel like a really horrible person right now**

**Waverly Earp: But what was Nic like after her aunt died? She mentioned something the other night and I just want to be prepared for today if something happens, Idk**

**Shae Pressman: That is today, isn’t it?**

**Shae Pressman: Damn**

**Shae Pressman: Do you want me to be straight with u?**

**Waverly Earp: Yea kinda**

**Shae Pressman: It wasn’t pretty, I’ll tell u that. I’m not surprised she didn’t tell u cuz she’s real ashamed about it**

**Shae Pressman: She was pretty screwed up. I’d say borderline alcoholic. Didn’t tell me what her feelings were ever. It only got worse when her dad’s thing came around**

**Shae Pressman: Took me until I found out she’d been smoking to try and fix her. I got her to open up and she straightened out. Cut back drinking. Stopped smoking. Actually told me what was going on.**

**Waverly Earp: Holy shit**

**Shae Pressman: Yea…**

**Waverly Earp: Well thanks, ig. I’m glad you set her straight**

**Shae Pressman: Me too, girl. Take care of her today, alright? Ik it’s still not easy for her**

**Waverly Earp: I will**

       She shook her head. She couldn’t imagine how horrible she felt for her to get _that_ low. Pushing herself off the bed, she stood up with a stretch, knowing she needed to give her all of her love right now. Walking towards the door, she picked up her shorts that were splayed out on the floor, folding them up to put back in her bag. She paused, feeling that there was still stuff in her pockets. She pulled out her wallet from the right pocket, setting it down on the nightstand. Digging in her left pocket, she felt a box. Cocking an eyebrow, she pulled it out.

       Her stomach rippled with anger.

       She opened the top, seeing the pack of cigarettes was empty. That only made her madder. She slammed the shorts to the floor, storming out of the room and down the stairs. She ripped the front door open. 

       Nicole was sitting on the porch swing with her earbuds in, leaning over her phone with a cigarette in her hand. Waverly chucked the box at her face, face red with fury. The Officer’s head snapped up, eyes widening at her. “Why?!” She demanded, crossing her arms. 

       She tossed it into the grass, pulling her earbuds out of her ears and blowing out a puff of smoke as she stood. “Wave,” she choked out with a cough. “I’m sorry.” 

       “Are you though? Because I _really_ don’t think you are. I could care less about the fact that you are smoking. If that’s still how you handle this, whatever. But the fact that you _chose_ to not tell me about it!? I asked you _over and over_ why you were being so _damn_ weird lately. If you were ok. And now I find out that you’d rather sneak off to smoke a _fucking_ cigarette instead of talking to me?! I came with you to _help_ you through this week, not to be kept in the dark and told that you’re fine over and over! It’s normal to have _feelings_ , Nicole. I get your a cop and like to be a hardass, but god damn! Talk to me about it, Nic! What are you so afraid of?!” 

       A tear fell from her eye, but she quickly wiped it. “I told you I didn’t want you to see me like this,” she mumbled, not meeting her eyes. 

       “Well, guess what? I already talked to Shae about it, so it's a little late for that.” 

       Nicole’s head snapped to meet her eyes. “You _what_? _Why_?!” 

       “Because! I care about you! I needed to know what was going on and I knew _you_ wouldn’t tell me!” 

       “Yea, well, I had a good reason not to! Jesus Christ, Waverly, there’s some stuff I don’t like talking about!” She wiped another tear from her face. 

       The brunette took a few steps closer to her, taking a breath to calm herself down. “Ok. Look. I don’t wanna fight and I know you don’t either. But, you’ve gotta talk to me, Baby. I know you’re going through a lot right now and I want to help you.” She wiped the tears that were escaping her eyes at a steady pace now. Nicole nodded, leaning her head into her hands as she closed her eyes. “Ok,” she breathed. “Let’s go inside, Love.” She held the door open for the redhead. “I hope you know I’m not kissing you with cigarette breath,” she grumbled. 

       Nicole walked over to the trash can, dropping the pack into it, giving the brunette a small smile as she put a piece of gum in her mouth. “Now you won’t have to.” 

       The girls spent the next two hours talking. Nicole finally opened up about everything she was feeling and everything she had gone through in years past. Waverly held her when she was crying so hard she couldn’t speak, most of the time crying along with her. The redhead promised to never pick up a cigarette again, but more importantly, to never hide her feelings from her.

       They got cleaned up and went for some breakfast before heading up to the cemetery. Nicole put the car in park, tapping her foot as she took a drink of her coffee. Waverly placed her hand gently on her thigh. “It’s ok,” she soothed. “Do you want me to go over with you?” 

       “Only if you want to,” she murmured, looking out the window. 

       “No. Do _you_ want me to?” The redhead looked at her, unsure of her answer. “How about this? You can go over there, do what you need to, and then you can decide. How does that sound?” She gave her a small smile, running her thumb along her thigh. 

       “Ok,” she agreed quietly. 

       “Ok. Take your time, Nic. We've got all day.” 

       She nodded, letting out a shaky breath. She gave her girlfriend a slow kiss before climbing out of the car, sticking her hands in her pockets as she slowly walked over to the headstone, looking down at it silently for a minute. She sat down with a sigh, picking at the grass. “You know damn well I’m gonna cry, don’t give me that bullshit.” 

       Waverly watched on from the car as she began to talk to her. And she continued to watch as she sat there for about an hour. It was humbling. Watching her smile as she went along, blabbering like she was actually sitting there right in front of her. She knew that Nicole knew deep down in her heart that someway, somehow Aunt Liz was listening. Waverly had no clue what she was talking to her about, but whatever it was looked to be bringing back the Nicole she been missing the past few days. 

       The Deputy looked up at the brunette, giving her a smile as she waved her over. She got out of the car and walked over, sitting down next to her. “That’s cute,” she said, pointing to the inscription at the bottom of the headstone.

**_I Didn't Live to Watch You Come Here and Cry About Me Dying_ **

       Nicole smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist. “She’d always say that- Well, worded in the not-dead way, but yea.” 

       Waverly giggled, leaning her head on her shoulder. “Have you babbled about me yet?” She asked, wiggling her eyebrows. 

       “I think _you_ are the only thing I’ve talked about, honestly. Moving to Purgatory and meeting you are the only two good things that have happened to me since last year.” 

       “Are you telling me you sat here for an hour talking about _me_?”

       “Yea, pretty much,” she sighed. 

       “You need to get a life, Haught.” 

       The redhead threw her a look. “Waverly Earp, you are my life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cute :D
> 
> We're all good. No one's mad. Unless ya'll are mad. But other than that, WayHaught's all nice and happy now.


	46. I Think this Plane is Homophobic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WayHaught's Vegas trip finally comes to an end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go
> 
> Lowkey a filler chapter but its cool

       “Nicole.” 

       The redhead awoke and lifted her head from the floor in the living room after feeling a sharp kick to the side. “Hmm?” She mumbled, taking in her surroundings.

       “If you don’t get up, we’re gonna miss the flight,” the brunette grumbled, dropping a pile of clothes for her to change into on top of her. 

       Nicole plopped her head back down. “Worst 4th of July _ever_ ,” she muttered, cloudy events of the night before slowly coming back to her. They had been stupid. Very stupid. Because they had partied. And not just anywhere. Oh no. A _Yacht Club_ Party. Needless to say, they were both incredibly hungover and _reeked_ of Pina Colada. “How’d we even get back here?” 

       “I dunno. Get up. Seriously. We have to leave in 30 minutes.” 

       Nicole pushed herself to a sitting position, falling sideways against the table with a wince. Her eyes widened. “ _And_ I think last night’s about to make a grand entrance.” She got up and stumble-sprinted to the bathroom. Waverly’s eyes squished together, hearing the god-awful sounds filling the condo. She finished putting her hair up in a messy bun and opened the refrigerator, pulling out a water bottle and slumping over to the bathroom, knocking lightly on the door. 

       “You ok, Babe?” 

       “Do I sound _ok_ to you, Waverly?” She pursed her lips, pushing the door open, tapping her on the shoulder with the bottle. “Thanks,” she mumbled, flopping back against the wall, taking a small drink. 

       Waverly dug around in the cabinet, handing her a bottle of pills. “I’m gonna get us an Uber. All your stuff’s already packed and by the door.” 

       Nicole looked up at her with a small smile. “I love you,” she sighed. 

       “You better.” She went back upstairs, gathering the rest of her things, shoving it all in her suitcase to deal with later. She lugged it downstairs and set it next to Nicole’s two bags. “Nic, hurry up!” She groaned loudly, heading back into the bathroom, cursing at her under her breath as she saw her passed out again, slumped sideways against the wall. The fed-up brunette squatted down in front of her, shaking her head around. “Get. Up.”

       Nicole’s eyes blinked open. “‘M ‘wake, I ‘romise.”

       Waverly stood, yanking her to her feet and dragging her back to the living room. “I _know_ you don’t feel good. Trust me, I don’t either. But, if you don’t change out of these _nasty ass clothes_ and start _hauling some ass_ , I swear on Pikachu the Hamster that I will _leave you here_ because I have gotten 14 texts and 5 calls from Wynonna in the last _24 hours_ asking _when I’ll be home today_! So, please, Sweetheart, can you do this for me? _Please._ ” 

       Nicole nodded her head, grabbing her clothes that were now on the floor. “Yea, Waves, I’m moving.” 

       She let out a breath. “Thank you.” The redhead gave her a smile, heading back to the bathroom to try and make herself look halfway decent. 

       A few minutes she returned, hair hiding underneath a beanie. “I’m ready,” she mumbled, rubbing her hands up and down her freshly washed face. 

       “Our ride is . . .” The smaller girl looked down at her phone. “5 minutes out.” Nicole nodded, curling up next to her on the couch. “What’s gonna happen with your car?” 

       “I gotta guy,” she informed slightly muffled by the way her head was stuffed against her chest. Waverly did a long nod, assuming that _guy_ was the one who smoothly pulled up right in front of them last week. She thought back to all the things they had done. Screwing around in the pool here at the condo. Driving to LA, then to Hollywood, then to the beach. Their all-day trip to Disneyland. Watching the Bellagio Fountain Show back here in Nevada. Dedicating a whole day to going through every museum Vegas had to offer, it seemed. Walking the Vegas strip, which also included babbling to Nicole about all of her weird history facts that she had stored somewhere up in her brain. Going to see the Blue Man Group perform, the redhead branding it the weirdest _and_ coolest thing she had _ever_ seen. 

       Not to mention all the _shopping_ they did, much to Waverly’s rejection. But Nicole insisted with many of her _bumper sticker_ monologues about how much she meant to her and how she’d get her _anything_ her heart desired. 

       And the _food_. They swore they had a new favorite restaurant almost every day. 

       But, weirdly enough, her favorite thing from throughout the trip had nothing to do with any exhibits or shows or museums. Not even the food, _though_ that _was_ a close second. Her favorite thing was spending a whole week with Nicole. In the same house. It felt almost _natural_ to her. There was no having to leave to pack a bag. No deciding on whose house they should stay at. Everything that they needed was right there. It got her thinking . . . what if every day could be like this?

       The brunette was torn from her thoughts at the sound of her phone dinging on her lap, their Uber texting her that he was there. “Ok, Nic, let’s go.” She stood up off the couch and held a hand out for the taller girl, who whined a complaint. “Nicole,” she warned, the sound of her wearing patience coming through. The redhead begrudgingly took her hand, picking up her two bags and sulking out the front door, groaning at the bright sun. After they got everything in the back of their Uber’s car, they hopped in the back, heading off to the airport. 

       “Rough 4th?” The man asked, looking back at them through his rear-view mirror. 

       “You could say that,” Waverly sighed, running her hand along the Officer’s side. 

       “Well, if it makes you feel any better, you two aren’t the worst I’ve seen this morning.” 

       Waverly laughed lightly. “I can only imagine.” 

       “Oh, trust me, you don’t wanna.” She saw him shiver. Nicole even laughed a little at that. The man respected their hungover state and kept conversation to a minimum for the majority of the drive, wishing them luck as they climbed out at the airport. 

       “Thanks for the ride,” Nicole mumbled as she grabbed Waverly’s suitcase out of the back, handing it to her. 

       “It’s not like it’s my job or anything,” he chuckled. She smiled, closing the hatch, giving it a pat. He pulled away and the girls headed inside to get checked in. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “It’s ok, Wave,” Nicole soothed, kissing the top of her head. 

       “I hate it,” she cried, gripping onto her arm for dear life as another rock of turbulence shook the plane. 

       “I know, Baby. I’m sorry.” Their day had not been _great_ to put it lightly. First, their flight got delayed for 3 hours. Then, they got seated _right_ in front of a sobbing toddler. And to top it all off, they had turbulence throughout most of the flight so far and they were only an hour in. The brunette let out a whimper, looking up at her with teary eyes. Nicole pushed her hand through her hair. “Hey. You know what we’re gonna do when we land?” 

       “What?” Waverly sniffled. 

       “We’re gonna go back to the Homestead. And we’re gonna get some sleep. And then Gus is gonna wake us up after she’s fixed up some dinner. We’re all gonna eat and listen to Wynonna make fun of Doc. And then listen to Gus yelling at Wynonna for making fun of Doc.” Waverly let out a little giggle. “How’s that sound, Babe?” She asked with a smile. 

       The smaller girl snuggled in closer to her side. “Sound’s amazing,” she sighed. 

       “Yea?” 

       “Yea.” Nicole tipped her head up for a kiss. “I just really wish you wouldn’t have given that kid behind us your iPad,” she mumbled into her lips, pinching her side. 

       “It shut him up, didn’t it?” Waverly rolled her eyes at her. “Plus his dads slipped me a 20, so . . .”

       “Dads? As in plural?” 

       “Yes, Love,” she chuckled. Another wave of turbulence shook through the plane. 

       “I think this plane is homophobic,” Waverly huffed. The Deputy snorted, wrapping her arm tighter around her. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Where are they?!” Wynonna demanded, slumping back against the railing in the Calgary airport. 

       “Would you chill out, Girl? They’ll be here when they’ll be here,” Gus grumbled. Wynonna looked towards her, crossing her arms. Her attention was brought back to the gate they were standing in front of when she saw people starting to walk through it. With one glance at a tuft of red hair under a beanie, she was sprinting. 

       “WAVES!” She jumped onto her sister, knocking her to her back. Waverly let out a pained groan, slowly wrapping her arms around the ecstatic brunette as she got some air back in her lungs.

       “Wynonna,” she said, still a little winded. 

       “I MISSED YOU!”

       Waverly rolled her off of her, standing up. “I missed you, too, Wy,” she smiled. Nicole pulled out of Gus’ hug with a smile. A smirk crept up on the older Earp’s face as she snuck up behind her, pulling her into a headlock, ripping the beanie off of her head and giving her the hardest noogie known to mankind. 

       “HAUGHT SHIT!” 

       The redhead groaned, pawing at her arms. “Wynonna!” Gus and Waverly chastised. 

       “You remember how I’m a cop, Earp?” Nicole choked out. 

       “Wha-” Nicole gripped the arm around her neck, flipping her over her back, slamming her into the ground. “ _OOF!_ ” 

       “Miss me?” She asked with a shit-eating grin. 

       “Not in the slightest,” she grimaced.

       Nicole helped her to her feet, snatching her beanie back. “Didn’t think so,” she smirked, knocking her with her shoulder. Wynonna smiled, bumping her back as they walked towards the exit. 

       “I was for sure you two were gonna come back married,” the older Earp sighed. Waverly’s eyes widened towards her. 

       “Nope. Nonononono, not again,” the Officer blurted. 

       “So, what _did_ you do. Besides fucking. I know that is how you spent _at least_ 50% of your time.” 

       Nicole snapped her head towards her. “HEY! . . . Only like 20%, who do you think we are?” 

       Waverly’s face reddened with embarrassment as the two laughed their asses off, Gus looking around, pretending she wasn’t listening. “ _Nicole_!” She barked. 

       The redhead looked timidly towards her girlfriend. “Sorry,” she mumbled. They walked silently for a minute or two. 

       Waverly glanced between what was ahead of her and the two girls beside her a few times. “It was at _least_ 25,” she muttered. The duo looked toward her, small smiles slowly growing on all of their faces. Wynonna was the first to snort, the couple quickly breaking after. Gus shook her head, guiding them out to the car once they exited the building. Nicole and Gus stacked their bags in the back of the car, all piling in, Wynonna and Nicole in the back this time. 

       30 minutes into the drive, Waverly looked back to her girlfriend. “Nic, I’m cold,” she mumbled, sticking her lip out. Nicole furrowed her brows at her before looking down at herself, remembering she was wearing a hoodie. She pulled it off, handing it to the smaller girl, who slipped it on with a giggle, blowing her a kiss. 

       “ _Jeez_ ,” Wynonna said under her breath, shaking her head as she looked toward her. 

       “What?” Nicole questioned, cocking an eyebrow. 

       “You would have just given her your shirt if you weren’t wearing that,” she sighed. 

       “Mm, you'd like that, wouldn't you?” She cracked, waggling her eyebrows. 

       Wynonna threw her a look, eyes quickly widening as she grabbed her arm. “Holy shit, Ginger Snap, did you _tan_?! I didn’t know that was possible with your kind!” 

       “That happens when you go to the _ocean_ ,” Waverly said from the front, the smirk on her face obvious from her voice. 

       “You went to the ocean?” Wynonna asked softly, sadness from jealousy almost evident. 

       “We did,” Nicole confirmed, digging her phone out of her pocket. “Wanna see?” She showed her her lock screen, which was one of the pictures the man had taken of them in front of the sunset. 

       “ _Aw_ ,” Wynonna cooed. She quickly cleared her throat. 

       “Wynonna has _feelings_?” Gus questioned with a chuckle. Waverly laughed, giving her a high five. The brunette glared at the back of her head from the backseat. 

       “That . . . That’s . . .” She lowered her voice to an almost-whisper. “ _That’s cute_.” 

       Nicole smiled, passing her phone up to Waverly to show Gus. “Why thank you, Wynonna.” 

       “That is too _sweet_!” She gushed. “Who took that?” 

       “The guy who’s neck Nicole almost slit,” Waverly laughed. 

       “Hey now,” she defended. “You don’t just sneak up on someone like that!” Waverly smiled at her as she handed her phone back. 

       “Ok, you two. What do you want for supper? I’ll make whatever y'all want,” Gus said, looking back at Nicole through the mirror. The redhead shifted her eyes towards the brunette. Waverly raised her eyebrows twice and Nicole mimicked her. 

       “Lasagna,” they both said at the same time, giggling at each other from their silent agreement.

       The older woman chuckled. “Lasagna it is!” She smiled. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Ok,” Nicole sighed, walking back down the stairs at the Homestead after carrying their last bag up. “Gus, you know I’d help you, but if I don’t sleep a little, I might die. And I don’t think your niece would appreciate that.” 

       “I would not!” Waverly shouted from upstairs. 

       Gus looked towards her with a smile as she stirred something on the stove. “Go on, Dear. I wasn’t going to let you help, anyway. You’re on vacation until tomorrow.” She gave her a wink and Nicole smiled with a nod, trotting back upstairs.

       She dropped down face-first onto the bed, sucking in a deep breath. “I love the smell of your bed,” she mumbled, pulling a cover over herself. “It smells just like you.” 

       “Is sniffing me one of your hobbies?” Waverly asked, laying down beside her. 

       Nicole shifted her body, head now resting on her chest. She sucked in another breath. “Mhm,” she confirmed sleepily with a dimpled smile that the brunette couldn’t help but run her thumb over. She chuckled lightly, but sleep quickly pulled them under its spell. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Wynonna!” Gus called. The brunette stood up from the couch, walking into the kitchen. 

       “Yea?” 

       “Can you go wake the girls up for me? Supper’s just about ready.” Wynonna nodded, walking over to the cabinets, pulling two metal lids out. “Wynonna,” Gus grumbled. 

       “C’mon, I haven’t got to screw with them all week!” 

       The older woman sighed. “Go on.” Wynonna giggled, clomping up the stairs, Gus shaking her head as she set the table. Wynonna peeked her head into Waverly’s room, finding Nicole splayed out spread eagle halfway hanging off the bed and the smaller girl in the same position on the other side. She crept quietly to the end of the bed with a huge smirk before banging the lids together as hard as possible. 

       Nicole rolled off the bed, falling hard onto the floor and Waverly let out a shriek, yanking the blankets over herself. “What the _hell_ , Wynonna!” She hollered when she pulled the blanket away, hearing her cackling. 

       “You better be glad the shotgun is on that side, Earp,” Nicole grumbled, sitting up and rubbing her shoulder. 

       “I missed messing with your dumbasses,” Wynonna sighed, calming down her laughing fit. “Dinner’s ready, by the way.”

       The couple glared at her as she walked out of the room. “You ok, Love?” Waverly asked as the redhead pulled herself back up on the bed. Nicole pulled the t-shirt sleeve up on her left arm, a reddening bruise already forming at the top of her shoulder. The brunette tutted, running her thumb across it. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled. 

       She shrugged, rolling her shoulder around as she stood up. “It’s fine,” she sighed. Waverly crawled off the bed and they walked downstairs, sitting down at the table. 

       “Feeling better?” Doc asked, taking a seat next to Wynonna. 

       “Uh-huh,” Waverly yawned, leaning forward onto her arm. Nicole stood up, walking around the table. She grabbed Wynonna’s chair by the seat and the back, tipping it sideways, sending Wynonna to the floor. 

       “Whoops!” 

       “That hurt, ya Dickhead,” the brunette complained, standing up. 

       “Oh did it? I’m sorry,” Nicole frowned sarcastically. She flipped her off, righting her chair and sitting back down. The Officer walked over to the fridge. “Beer anyone?” She heard a yes from everyone but the older Earp. “Wynonna?” 

       “I’m good.” 

       Nicole cocked an eyebrow. “Are you ill, Dear?”

       Wynonna threw her a look. “ _No_. I just don't want one,” she shrugged. 

       “Ooooook,” the Deputy sighed, passing one around to everyone else. They all began to eat, their whole dinner filled with Nicole and Waverly’s stories from their trip. 

       After they were finished, the couple had gone upstairs to shower while the other two helped Gus clean up. “Where are we staying tonight?” Waverly asked, running a towel through her hair. 

       “I need to go get CJ from Nedley still, so . . . My house?” Nicole suggested, pulling a shirt over her head. 

       “Fine with me,” Waverly sighed. Her face lit up all of a sudden. “OO! And we can bring him his mug!” They had bought Nedley a mug in the shape of a donut because the redhead insisted it was “a need, not a want.” 

       Nicole smiled. “I forgot about that . . . We should give them their shit before we leave then, yea?” Waverly nodded vigorously, happy clapping as she yanked clothes up her body. 

       “Ok, c’mon!” She rushed back into her room and pulled all of the things they had bought out of her suitcase, handing some of it to Nicole, who placed it all in a bag. They walked downstairs and gathered everyone in the living room. 

       “So. To prove to ya’ll that we aren’t totally heartless people, we come bearing gifts,” Nicole smirked. Wynonna’s eyes widened at that. 

       “Doc first,” Waverly said pulling the first gift out of the bag. She handed it to him and he looked it over. It was a flask in the shape of a revolver. 

       “Well, by golly, I thought I had been through the mill, but this is the dandiest thing I have _ever_ seen!” He looked up at the girls with a big smile. “Thank you!” 

       “You’re welcome,” the brunette giggled. “Now, Gus. I know you may have a _teeny tiny_ obsession with chocolate so . . .” Nicole handed her a 5-pound container of M&M’s from M&M World. She smiled sweetly up at them.

       “And since Waverly has stolen almost every blanket in the house . . .” The redhead pulled out a blanket, unrolling it to reveal all the M&M characters on the front.

       “Hey!” Waverly smacked Nicole’s arm. She laughed, handing the blanket to the older woman. 

       “Thank you, girls. I love it,” she smiled. They both looked towards a very excited Wynonna. 

       “I know better than anyone else that an Earp is not an Earp without her whiskey.” She reached in the bag, pulling out a bottle of whiskey in the shape of a skull. Wynonna took it, looking down at it with wide eyes. 

       “Fan _tastic_!” She said with a broad smile. Nicole saw something hiding behind her eyes. The Wynonna she knew would have popped the bottle open then and there. But she just looked down at it, biting her lip. She squinted at her. 

       “Hey, Earp, can I talk to you about something before we go?” She asked.

       Wynonna looked up at her, standing up from the arm of the couch. “Sure, wha-” The Deputy grabbed her arm, dragging her to the other side of the house. 

       “What’s your deal?” She asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

       Wynonna’s eyes traced over her face. “Deal? I don’t have a deal, what's _your_ deal?” 

       “You have turned down alcohol _twice_ now. That’s not normal for you.” 

       Wynonna pursed her lips. “What? I’m not allowed to _not_ drink if I don’t want to. And I didn’t turn this down. I love it!” 

       Nicole tipped her head. “Oh yea? Drink some then,” she challenged. 

       Wynonna’s eyes widened. “No.”

       “Why not?” 

       “Because I don't want to!” 

       “You are _Wynonna flipping Earp_! You always want to drink!” 

       “Well, now I don’t,” she mumbled. 

       The Officer threw her arms out in front of her. “Why?!-” Her face softened with the flash of sadness she saw blink through the other girl’s eyes. It suddenly hit her. “Wynonna . . . Are you-” 

       “Shush!” Wynonna pressed a finger to her lips, wide-eyed. “Don’t say that _word_!” She shuddered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop, there it is


	47. Ocupado!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Wynonna have a heart to heart and WayHaught takes a big step in their relationship.

       The redhead’s eyes were as wide as could be. “Wynonna,” she said softly. So many thoughts were running through her head, but she didn’t know what she wanted to ask first. 

       “Don’t _Wynonna_ me, ok, Nicole? I know . . . I _really_ screwed up this time.” There was so much pain on her face.

       Nicole grabbed onto both of her shoulders. “No, don’t say that. This isn’t a bad thing, Wy.” 

       She looked up at her, eyebrows tightly threaded together. “Dude, I’m not fit to be a . . . _a mom_ ,” she whispered. Nicole swallowed. “I can barely take care of myself, how am I supposed to take care of a . . . a _that_.” She pointed to her stomach.

       Nicole wasn’t going to lie. Maybe the thought of Wynonna being in charge of a living and breathing human being did send a jolt of fear through her, _but_ she was a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, so it didn’t matter.

       “You’re not alone, ok? You’re not gonna be alone through this, I promise.” Wynonna shook her head. “Does . . . Who knows?” 

       She looked up at her through her lashes. “Just you,” she mumbled. “And I’d like to keep it that way.” 

       The redhead’s eyes widened. “You . . . You want _me_ to keep this from Waverly? Wynonna, I can’-”

       “You _can_ and you _will_ , Haught. I’m not asking, I’m telling.” Nicole slowly nodded her head. “She can’t know until . . . She can’t know yet.” 

       “When do you plan on telling her!? When you’re pushing?” The Deputy asked breathlessly.

       The brunette clapped her hands on the top of her head. “Oh my Jesus, I’m gonna have to do that,” she breathed.

       Nicole grabbed her arms again, trying to calm her down. “Whatever you need, I’m going to help you with. We’re going to get you to a doctor soon so they can check you out and . . . confirm it. Ok?” 

       She nodded. “Ok . . . ok.” 

       “You call or text me _whenever_ , alright?” Wynonna nodded again. “Ok. I’ve gotta go _but_ we are _not_ done talking about this.” 

       “If you say anything to Waverly, _I swear to God_ -” 

       “I won’t, Earp,” Nicole mumbled as they both walked back into the living room.

       Waverly now had a bag over her shoulder. “Ready, Babe?” She asked, looking towards the redhead.

       She squeezed Wynonna’s hand, walking over to her girlfriend. “Yep,” she smiled. They handed out their goodbyes to everyone and headed off to Nedley’s house. 

       Nicole knocked on the door. He answered a few seconds later. “Nicole!” 

       “Hi, Sir,” she smiled.

       He waved them in the house. “How was your trip?” He asked, walking them into the living room. 

       “ _Amazeballs_!” Waverly exclaimed, finding the large fur ball trotting towards them along the back of the couch. “I missed you!” She cooed, picking her up. The cat rubbed her face against Waverly’s. 

       “Yea, we had a great time,” she agreed, scratching the back of her head. “Did this one behave herself?” 

       The Sheriff chuckled. “Besides one toilet paper massacre, yes she did.” 

       Nicole groaned. “Seriously, Calamity, I thought we were over that?” She complained, tipping her face up with her finger. The feline meowed at her. “Don’t sass me, kid,” she tutted. 

       “You wonder why she doesn’t like you,” Waverly mumbled. 

       “She does too,” Nicole retorted. 

       She tipped her head at her. “Mhm, you hold her then.” She handed her off and Calamity Jane immediately started twisting around in her arms, hoping to the floor. “What was that again?” Waverly and Nedley laughed while Nicole pursed her lips at them. The brunette bent down, picking the cat back up. “Is Momma mean to you? Yes she is, I know.” 

       “That fatass knows damn well she’s spoiled,” Nicole grumbled, leaning back onto the arm of the couch. 

       Waverly shielded the cat’s ears with a gasp. “Nicole! She is _pleasantly plump_!” 

       “Does that make me pleasantly plump, too?” Nedley questioned. They all laughed. 

       “No, Dad, you’re just fat.” They looked to see Chrissy walking down the stairs holding her Yorkie. Waverly quickly set Calamity down and quickly rushed over, snatching the little dog from her hands, probably hurting the poor thing’s ears by the way she was squealing. 

       “Speaking of fat . . . We got you a present, Nedley,” Nicole smirked, handing him the box with the mug.

       He smiled, pulling it out and looking it over. “Are you calling me fat, Haught?” He asked, cocking a playful eyebrow at her. 

       “Definitely not, Sir,” Nicole assured with a chuckle. 

       “Awww! Nic, looook!” Waverly gushed as she and Chrissy walked over to them. They had put the little dog in the suit costume the couple had gotten for him. 

       “Why, Henry, you look quite dashing!” Randy smiled, adjusting the little bow tie around his neck.

       Waverly handed him over to Nicole and he proceeded to lick all over her face. “Hello to you, too,” she smiled. 

       The couple hung out there for a little while longer before packing up all of Calamity Jane’s things and saying goodbye to the Nedley’s. 

       They got to Nicole’s and Waverly curled up on her in the living room as they started their next episode of Friends. The redhead looked down at the smaller girl about 3 episodes in, noticing that she was chewing on her finger, not really focused on the show. 

       “Waves?” She gently pulled her hand away from her mouth, pausing their Netflix. Waverly rolled over, looking up at her, chin resting on her stomach.

       “What?” 

       “What’re you thinkin’ bout?” She asked with a tired drawl. 

       “Nothing,” she said, shaking her head.

       Nicole tipped her head knowingly. “It’s something,” she pushed, raising her eyebrows.

       Waverly shook her head again, turning to her side. “It’s nothing, Nic,” she repeated. 

       “You’re _bleeding_ finger tells me otherwise,” she sighed, picking up her hand, kissing said finger. Waverly sighed uncomfortably, flipping to her back. Nicole pulled her up closer to her face, peppering the side of her cheek with kisses. “You can tell me anything,” she reminded in a whisper, pecking the shell of her ear. 

       “I know,” she mumbled. “I just . . . I dunno. I don’t want you to get all weirded out.” 

       The Officer tutted, sitting up. Waverly turned around to face her. “You’re not gonna weird me out, Waves,” she said with a smile.

       The brunette leaned her head sideways against the couch, pulling at a string on Nicole’s sweatpants. She let out a nervous sigh. “I was just thinking about how nice it was in Vegas. How it was just the two of us . . . all the time. And I think it’d be cool if . . . it was always like that.” 

       A gentle smile made its way up the Deputy’s face. “Are you saying you want to move in together, Love?” 

       Waverly slowly looked up at her. “Maybe?”

       Nicole tugged on her arms, pulling her into her lap. “Maybe?” She questioned.

       The smaller girl bit her cheek, body stiffening up. “If you think it’s too fast or don’t want to, that’s o-” 

       “I would _love_ for you to move in with me, Baby,” she smiled, brushing some hair out of her face.

       Waverly smiled brightly. “Really?!” She asked, gripping her hands in her lap. 

       “Really,” Nicole nodded with a laugh. The younger girl giggled, cupping each side of her face as she leaned in for a kiss. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       10 days later and ironically on their 4 month anniversary, they were getting the last of Waverly’s things into Wynonna’s truck to take over to Nicole’s. Wynonna, Doc, and Nicole were packing it up and taking it over while Waverly and Gus were unpacking and starting to sort through things at the house. 

       “Jesus, why the hell are all of these boxes so heavy?!” Wynonna asked as she carried a larger one down the stairs. 

       “Wynonna.” Nicole walked over to her, taking the box from her hands. “What by _take it easy_ did you not understand?” Nicole had taken her to the doctor and they confirmed that she was 6 weeks pregnant. And now the Officer was being _maybe_ a little _too_ protective over her. 

       Wynonna walked in front of her, snatching the box back. “I’m _fine_ , Haughty,” she grumbled, walking outside. The redhead shook her head, heading back upstairs. 

       “What _is_ this gadget?” Doc asked, jabbing his finger into buttons on the little machine in his hand. 

       Nicole laughed a little, taking it from him. “It’s a calculator.” She turned it on. “It does math and stuff so you don’t have to.”

       He cocked an eyebrow at her. “How?” 

       “Give me an equation.” 

       He thought it over for a few seconds. “2016 minus 1887.” Nicole typed it into the calculator, turning it towards him when the answer popped up. He nodded his head. “That little calca-whatchamacallit is smart. 129 years of my life I was stuck in that _damn_ well,” he sighed, turning away and picking up a box. She blinked at the back of his head for a few seconds, turning it off and setting it back in the box filled with all of her girlfriend’s school stuff, carrying it out to the truck. 

       “I think that’s good for this load,” Wynonna said, looking at the full truck bed with her hands on her hips. 

       “Alright, let’s go.” They all climbed into the truck and Nicole pulled away, heading towards her house. 

       “Why do _you_ get to drive _my_ truck?” Wynonna asked. 

       “Because I don’t trust you to drive it while all of her stuff is back there. I’ve seen how you take corners.” Wynonna rolled her eyes. She slowly snuck her hand up, tugging on the wheel, making the vehicle swerve a bit. Nicole righted it, smacking her arm with wide eyes. “Dude!” 

       “What?” Wynonna laughed. 

       “Do you _want_ to kill us?!” 

       “I think she does,” Doc mumbled.

       Wynonna hit his leg. “You’re fine, 5-0,” she sighed. “Don’t get your khakis in a twist.”

       The redhead threw her a look. “You’re sitting by the window on the way back,” she grumbled, pushing a hand through her hair. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       With one more trip, all of Waverly’s stuff was moved out of the Homestead. “Last one,” Nicole grunted, setting a box of books down in her living room. 

       “That’s it?!” Waverly asked, standing up from the floor. 

       “That’s it,” she confirmed, wiping her face off with her shirt. “Wynonna and Doc are taking all of your donation stuff up to Goodwill or whatever now.”

       The brunette walked over to her, standing up on her toes to give her a kiss. “I think . . .” She pulled away from Nicole’s lips, draping her arms around her neck. “That we should all go and get some celebratory Taco Bell.” 

       The redhead’s face lit up and she wiggled her eyebrows at her. “I agree,” she smirked. The brunette giggled, pulling her in for another kiss. 

       “I’ll take the three pack of those Dorito taco thingies,” Gus said from the floor, causing them to pull away from each other, looking down at the smiling older woman. “Oo, and one of them _fancy_ Mountain Dews!” 

       “Three Doritos Locos tacos and a Baja Blast?” Nicole questioned with a laugh. 

       “That’s it!” She smiled. 

       “You wanna come with or do you wanna keep working here?” The redhead asked the smaller girl.

       She thought it over, looking towards Gus, who gave her a shrug. “We still have like 300 boxes to go through,” she sighed, pushing a hand through her hair. 

       “Ok,” Nicole said with a smile. “You just want what you usually get?” Waverly nodded, a blush popping up on her cheeks for some reason. Of course Nicole knew her Taco Bell order. “Alright, I’ll be back in a little bit.” She gave her one final kiss, sending Gus a smile as she walked over to the door, pulling her keys off the hook. 

       “Thanks, Love,” Waverly called. 

       “I’d do anything for Taco Bell,” she smirked, sending her a wink as she closed the door behind her, pulling her phone out to call Wynonna to see what she and Doc wanted for when they got back. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole stood at the table, looking over the two bags of food in front of her. “Ok . . . veggie bowl thing, extra guac, and cheese quesadilla with pink lemonade for Waves. Three Locos tacos and Baja Blast for Gus. 2 Chalupas with a regular nacho and sweet tea for me. Nacho Bell-Whatever and 2 soft tacos, all with no tomato, and that weird mango tea for Doc. And two huge-ass-800-calorie-each-burritos _and_ cinnamon twists _with_ a slushie from 7-Eleven for Wynonna.” She looked up at the two faces staring back at her after she placed everything around the table. “I think I did it.”

       Waverly and Gus both laughed, giving her a slow clap. “I think you did,” the older woman chuckled.

       Nicole let out a puff of air. “Oh, yea. One more thing.” She tipped one of the bags over, a mountain of sauces piling up on the table. 

       “Should we eat . . . _or_ wait for them?” Waverly asked. 

       Nicole pulled a chair out, plopping down onto it. “Psh, they could take 3 hours for all we know. Plus, I haven’t eaten today, so . . .” They both nodded in agreement with the first part, sitting down.

       But Waverly had a glare set on the redhead’s face. “Nicole, we talked about that,” she scolded. 

       She shrugged a shoulder, looking up at her as she ripped a packet of sauce open with her teeth. “Sorry?” Waverly pursed her lips, flicking a piece of lettuce at her. Nicole flicked it back with a smirk, nailing her right in the forehead. She gasped, peeling it off as the Officer snorted into her drink. 

       Several minutes later, the missing duo arrived back at the house from their Goodwill adventure. Doc walked over to the table with a large smile, sitting down in front of his food. 

       “Hey, Haught, where’s your bathroom? I hope it’s this way.” Nicole snapped her head around to find the older Earp zooming down her hallway. She stood up as she wiped her face off with a napkin, tossing it back onto the table as she followed in her dust, hearing dreadful noises fill her ears as she got to the outside of the bathroom. She pushed her way in, furrowing her brow at her. “So apparently _this one_ doesn’t appreciate the smell of Taco Bell,” she mumbled as she sat back against the wall, placing her hand on her stomach. “And that’s a problem cause if you want to be an Earp, you must bow down to her.” 

       Nicole let out a sigh, leaning back against the sink. “You ok?” 

       “N-” A knock at the door cut her off. “ _Ocupado_!” She shouted. The door opened anyway, Gus stepping in with an unreadable look on her face.

       She was quiet, arms crossed for a second. “So, when were you two going to fill the _rest_ of us in on this?!” She demanded, raising her eyebrows at the girl on the floor.  

       “Uhh . . . Fill you in on what?” Wynonna asked obviously, eyes flashing to Nicole, but quickly back to her aunt. 

       “I’m not dumb, Wynonna,” she gritted through her teeth.

       The brunette stood up from off the floor. “I have _no_ idea what you’re talking about,” she said with a shrug. 

       “Do you think I haven’t noticed how you haven’t had a _sip_ of alcohol in 2 weeks? And _now_ you're getting sick from a _smell_? This is not something you can just _hide_ from everyone!” 

       “I still have no clue what you're getting at,” Wynonna mumbled.

       Nicole threw her a look. “Ok, we were getting to the point of telling everyone, _weren’t_ we, Wynonna?” She looked up at her with a pout but nodded her head. “And I’m making her take vitamins and she’s going to be going to the doctor accordingly. We were just waiting until she was ready, Gus, we weren’t ignoring the fact that it was happening.”

       That seemed to put a little ease on the older woman’s face. She gave a small nod as she thought it all over in her head. “And what about when you _have_ the baby? Who’s going to raise it? Are you keeping it? Adoption? Are you going to raise it by yourself or with the _father_?”

       Wynonna gagged, putting her arms up. “ _And_ I’m out.” She pushed past her aunt, walking out of the bathroom. 

       “Wynonna, you can’t ignore all of that!” Gus said, following her down the hallway and out the front door. Nicole followed as well.

       To be fair, she hadn’t really considered the whole _father_ situation. And frankly, she wasn’t too sure of who it was. Wynonna was certainly _busy_ in that department. 

       “I’m not ignoring it. I’m just not thinking about it right now!” 

       “That is what _ignoring it_ means!” Gus defended. 

       “She’s got a point, Earp,” Nicole mumbled.

       Wynonna shot her a look. “Look, it’s _my_ kid. If I want the . . . father involved, he’ll know. But _I_ don’t know yet, alright?!” 

       “Don’t know what?” The screen door opened, Waverly stepping out onto the porch.

       The Officer looked toward her wide-eyed. “Uhhhhm . . .” Nicole and Wynonna started. 

       “You’re _sister_ is pregnant!” Gus shouted.

       “GUS!” The other two exclaimed.

       Waverly snapped her head towards the brunette. “WHAT?!” 

       “Whaaaaat?” Wynonna said quietly, looking away from her and scratching the back of her head. 

       “AND YOU _DIDN’T_ TELL ME?! WYNONNA!”

       The brunette walked up onto the porch. “We were gonna tell you soon, Babygirl, I promise.”

       “We? Who is _we_?” She cast her eyes towards the redhead, who was looking off into the distance, rocking back and forth on the flats of her feet. “NICOLE?!” She stomped toward her. “ _You_ kept this from me, too?!” 

       “She made me, Wave,” the redhead said quietly. 

       “Why?” Waverly asked, turning back to her sister. “Why did you feel like you had to _hide_ this from me? Why am I _always_ unincluded?” Wynonna bit the inside of her cheek as the smaller girl traced over her face.

       “What are we hiding?” Doc asked, joining them on the porch. 

       “Wynonna’s-” Nicole clapped her hand over Waverly’s mouth. 

       “NO!” All three women shouted at the same time.

       Doc looked around at all the wide eyes staring at him. “Did I do something?” He asked, removing his hat.

       Gus took a step forward. “No, Henry, you didn’t,” she assured sweetly. “But, we’re having a . . . _girl talk_. So go on ahead back inside and finish up your lunch, alright?” He blinked at her for a second before tracing his eyes back around and placing his hat back on, tipping it as he walked back in. The three let out a breath and Nicole removed her hand from Waverly’s face.

       She looked towards her sister, still waiting for an answer. “Wave I . . .” She lowered her voice to an almost-whisper. “I didn’t want you to be disappointed in me.”

       The younger Earp’s face softened and she walked closer to her. “Why would I be disappointed in you?” She asked, furrowing her brows. 

       “Cause I’m your screw-up of an older sister who can’t do anything right!?”

       Everyone went quiet for a few seconds. 

       “Nonna,” Waverly started. “That’s not true. You know that’s not true.” Nicole looked over to Gus, who nodded her head. The redhead squeezed Waverly’s hand as they walked past her, heading inside to give the sisters some privacy. The younger girl looked back to Wynonna. 

       “You know it’s true, Babygirl. What’s the last good thing I did, huh? What’s the last thing I _didn’t_ fuck up?”

       Waverly grabbed her hand and sat her down, leaning against the front of the house. “Quit it, Wynonna. It’s not,” she insisted. “Stop looking at this as a bad thing. These things just happen.” 

       The darker brunette huffed. “I've been on _two_ types of birth control since I was _13 years old_. But the universe doesn't give a damn. It's never given _me_ a choice, not whether I wanted to be the Heir or a m- . . . a mother.”

       Waverly wrapped her arm around her, pulling her closer. “I know you're overwhelmed, ok? But not everything is because you're an Earp.”

       “Yeah, it is. It always comes back to the curse, Wave, always . . .” She let out a shaky breath. “I really- I- I can't do this.”

       Waverly looked towards her, wiping the tears that started to spill out of her eyes. “Hey . . .”

       “No,” Wynonna cut, shaking her head. 

       “Hey,” she started again.

       Wynonna slumped sideways, laying her head on her lap. “This poor asshole!” She sobbed.

       Waverly held onto her tighter, letting out a sigh. “I'm not saying it's gonna be ok . . . But I'm just saying I'm here . . . We’re all here . . . And whoever the- the father is, he might . . . he might be here, too.” 

       “Oh yea . . . between a- an 1800’s gunslinger and a . . . a fucking dragon-man. This kid's going to be screwed either way.”

       Waverly’s eyes widened. “You slept with _D-Dolls_?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and  
> I  
> went  
> there  
> oh  
> yes  
> I  
> did


	48. Coach Officer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First night living in the same house!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for your lovely comments. 
> 
> Like seriously, every single one I get I take to heart and read over and over like 200000 times because they make me so happy inside, so thank you to those who comment.
> 
> And to those who don't, I highly suggest it! I reply to every comment I get so if you've ever wanted to talk to your's truly, there's your chance!

       “Nicole, you don’t understand!” Waverly shouted, smacking her hand down onto the island. “That kid is going to be _so_ _damn_ spoiled!” The redhead laughed, taking a bite of one of Wynonna’s massive burritos that she couldn’t eat earlier. Waverly shoved a cinnamon twist in her mouth, smiling at her. 

       The clock was ticking towards 11 and the girls had decided to call it a night with unpacking and have an _almost_ midnight snack before heading to bed. Waverly and Wynonna had a good cry earlier on the porch together. Did it help ease some of Wynonna's nerves? _Hell_ yes. Kinda. Now her _two_ favorite people in her life got to bug her about it all the time. 

       “So spoiled. _Oh so_ spoiled,” Nicole enthused, pointing at her with the burrito that barely fit in her hand. 

       “Like ok, the kid’s got Wynonna as a mom. That’s pretty sweet. She is great and I do not _doubt_ that that kid will turn out just as sassy _if not more_ than her . . . _BUT_. Along with their sick mom, they’re gonna get two freaking awesome aunts! Like, C’MON?!” The Officer’s head dipped slightly at that. Wynonna and Waverly had now _both_ referred to her as this kid’s aunt. Wynonna had a few days back while they were at Walmart getting her vitamins, and she said something snarky like, “Oh my god, this kid has a _narc_ as an aunt” in which she responded with something along the lines of: “That means if they ever get their Earp-ass in trouble, they _might_ not have to see the insides of those nasty jail cells” 

       And if it didn’t make her heart swell with happiness, she didn’t know what did. 

       Nicole looked up at her after a few seconds with a small smile. “What?” Waverly asked, leaning forward over her food. 

       “Nothing,” she shrugged, finishing off the half that she cut off from the burrito, standing up to shove the other part back in the fridge. “Just . . . Happy. Really, _really_ happy.”

       The brunette got up and walked around, leaning against the counter in front of where she was standing, pulling her closer by her hips when she turned around. “Why’s that?” 

       Nicole smiled, licking her lips as she lifted her up and set her on the counter, stepping in between her legs and resting her arms on her thighs. “Well. I got Taco Bell today, for one. That always puts me in a good mood.” Waverly giggled, twirling red locks around her fingers. “Second. In the near future, I get to usher my niece or nephew to their first day of kindergarten _with_ the whole calvary, lights and sirens, just to _prove_ that you do _not_ fuck with an Earp.” The brunette shook her head at her with a smile, dropping her hands to her shoulders, running her thumbs along her neck. “And thirdly,” she pressed a hand to her chest, “most importantly, in my opinion, _I_ get to share a home with my _best friend_. No more days where I’ve missed you all day long but I’m too worn out to drive up to the Homestead. No more half of my closet here, half of my closet there. No more waking up to an empty bed. All I’ll ever need is . . . right here.” 

       Waverly rubbed her thumbs along her cheeks, looking down at her with teary eyes. “I love you,” she whispered with a smile. 

       The redhead flashed her dimples, pushing a kiss into the palm of her hand. “I love you, too.” She spun around and crossed her legs in front of her. “Care for a ride, Darling?” She asked in her horrible British accent that always got a laugh out of the smaller girl. She wrapped her arms around her neck and Nicole pulled her off the counter and onto her back. “Neigh, neigh, bitch,” she smirked, tipping her head back to look at her. Waverly let out a scoff wrapped up in a snort, hitting the side of her head lightly. The Officer hoisted her up to get a better grip before clomping down the hallway, tossing her onto the bed. The younger girl giggled, sitting up and climbing back off of the bed to change into some pajamas. 

       “What do you have to do tomorrow?” She asked in a yawn, tugging her shirt off. 

       “I have . . . practice with the boys at the cages at 11 and then my shift starts at 5.” 

       “Nightshift?” The brunette complained, pulling one of Nicole’s shirt’s on. 

       “Yea,” Nicole sighed, swapping her jeans out with basketball shorts and her shirt out for a clean one. She looked at her with a smirk. “ _All_ of your clothes are here, yet you continue to wear mine?”

       Waverly shrugged, climbing into bed. “This shirt is comfy.” 

       “Mm.” The redhead slid under the blanket next to her. “I like my clothes better on you anyway,” she smiled. 

       “Now you in _my_ clothes. That is a sight I need to see,” she smirked, running her fingers across her hand, feeling the indents from her scars on her fingers. She flipped to her side and brought her hand closer to her face. She laid her hand out flat against her own hand and saw her girlfriend’s face twitch out of the corner of her eye. “Does it hurt, Love?” She asked, eyes full of worry. 

       She knew she had been cleared from physical therapy about a month ago, so it should be good as new now. If there was something that she had noticed over the past few months since her surgery, it was that now her right hand was almost always curled into an almost-fist when she wasn’t using it. She didn’t know if that was what was most comfortable for her or if it was a habit, but it never really concerned her until now. 

       “I mean, not usually. I think I just overworked it the past few days, ya know?”

       Waverly’s eyes didn’t lose their worry. “Nic, why didn’t you say something?” 

       Nicole shook her head, stretching her hand out, the other holding a finger on either side of her second knuckle as she opened and closed it. “It’s just tight, Babe. It happens sometimes if I’ve been using my hands a lot. The guy at therapy told me that would happen, so it’s nothing to worry about,” she assured, dropping her hands to rest on her chest.

       Waverly tutted, picking it up and bringing it towards her face again. “Still. I wish you would have told me. We could have taken a break or something.” She scooted closer to the redhead, rolling onto her with her head on her chest. Nicole wrapped a protective arm around her, hugging her shoulder.

       “I’m fine, Baby,” she whispered, kissing her forehead and flicking the lamp on the nightstand off. “When do you work tomorrow?” 

       “Eight to five,” she mumbled into her shirt. 

       “I should be back on this side of town by 2:30-3ish. Want me to stop by Shorty’s so we can eat lunch together?” She asked, a yawn interrupting her halfway through. 

       “That’d be nice,” she sighed, pushing her hand up her shirt, feeling the warm skin of her side. 

       “Mk, let’s do that. Night, Baby.” 

       “Ni’ night,” she mumbled, sleep taking over her thoughts. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

 _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_ Nicole and Waverly let out a synchronized groan as the redhead smacked her hand around on the nightstand, shutting Waverly’s phone alarm off. “No,” she grumbled, wrapping both of her arms around the smaller girl. “You can’t leave.” 

       Waverly giggled sleepily, eyes still closed. “Are you holding me hostage, Officer Haught?” 

       “Mhm,” she mumbled, tugging her completely on top of her, wrapping her legs around her hips. “Mine.” 

       Waverly opened her eyes, reaching up to rub the sleep out of them. She tugged them out of her grip, curling her fingers over her shoulders and pulled herself closer to her face until she was right above her. Nicole’s eyes slowly opened, a smile on her face as she looked into the tired, but just as bright hazel eyes she had fallen in love with. “Morning,” the brunette said quietly. 

       “Morning,” she responded, voice cracking from sleep. She hugged her arms tighter around her torso as their lips met in a loving kiss. Nicole sighed, legs releasing her thighs as she slid her hands down to her hips. Waverly pulled away, tugging her bottom lip down with her finger on her chin. 

       “I have morning breath,” she sighed. 

       “And I don’t?” 

       She chuckled, rolling off of her to stand up with a stretch. “Oh, I know you do,” she smirked, voice strained as she reached her arms above her head. Nicole scoffed, rolling her eyes as she smacked her ass when she turned away. 

 

**.  . .**

 

       Waverly came out of the bathroom, fresh out of the shower and dressed in her Shorty’s uniform as she pulled her hair back into a braid. The smell of breakfast immediately hit her nose as she walked down the hallway towards the kitchen. She found the redhead at the stove, spinning a spatula around her fingers in beat with the low music coming from the speakers in the living room. She pushed a kiss to her cheek as she reached up into the cabinet for a coffee cup. “You could have gone back to sleep, Nic,” she sighed, leaning forward onto the counter and standing up on her toes to try and reach the one she wanted.

       The Officer stepped behind her, placing her hand on her hip as she grabbed the unicorn mug with ease. “But then you would have gone to work hungry,” she said with a fake pout, handing the mug to her with both hands. 

       “You need to make your house short people friendly, for one. Two, I would have grabbed something on my way out,” she pointed out as she poured some coffee. 

       Nicole cleared her throat. “ _Our_ house,” she corrected. 

       Waverly tutted, sitting down at the island and swinging her legs. “Sorry, _our house_ ,” she mumbled, putting her hands up.

       Nicole turned around from the stove and leaned forward on the other side of the counter. “This _is_ _our_ house now, Wave,” she said with all seriousness. 

       She shrugged a little, taking a sip of her coffee. “I know, but it’s still _your_ house.” 

       The redhead stood up straight. “Well, I planned on getting your name on the deed tomorrow, so then it will legally be _our house_ ,” she said with air quotes and a stupid voice.

       The brunette’s eyes shot up to meet her face. “What?” 

       Nicole gave her a nod. “As long as that’s ok with you?” 

       “I mean, yea, it’s ok with me. But, are you sure you want to do that?”

       “Yea,” she shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I?” 

       “I dunno,” she mumbled, looking down into her mug. “If something were to . . . happen between us-” 

       Nicole walked around the island and took both of her hands in her own. “Waverly Earp, there is nothing _on this Earth_ that could make me stop loving you. Alright?” 

       The brunette shook her head. “Yea, I know, I’m sorry. I just . . . don’t want to lose you.”

       The Officer quickly leaned into a kiss, cupping each side of her face. “I will tell you every single day until you believe that I will never, _ever_ leave you . . . because that’s how much I love you. Now, if you will excuse me, Dear, I am making _us_ some breakfast.” She booped the end of her nose with the spatula and turned back to the stove. Waverly smiled at the back of her, pulling her phone out of her pocket and leaning over it as she checked for any new assignments for school. 

       Several minutes later, a plate was slowly pushed in front of her. She looked up at her girlfriend with a wide smile. “You are adorable.” She looked back down at her pancake. But it wasn’t just any pancake. No. Nicole had, of course, turned it into a cute little lion. With blueberry eyes and a blueberry mouth on a smaller pancake that sat on top of the bottom portion of it and cut strawberries as a mane and a nose. She carried her own plate around and sat down next to her, her’s a lion as well. Waverly looked towards her and hooked her chin, giving her a quick kiss. “I love you,” she sighed. 

       “I love you, too.” A mischievous grin worked its way up her face. Waverly cocked her eyebrow at her. “. . . And I ain’t _lion_.”

       “ _Jesus fucking Christ_ ,” the brunette groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose as Nicole cackled at herself. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The Officer shut the car off and hopped out at the training facility, shoving her keys in her pocket as she walked inside. “Hey, Topher, what’s up?” She greeted as she approached the front desk. 

       “Nothing much. How’re you?” 

       “Good, good. Marty here yet?” 

       “Yea. He just walked back to the weight room.”

       She gave him a nod and smacked the desk as she headed that way. _Weight room? Why would he be in there?_ Entering the room, she found him scoping out the place. “Watcha doin', Fasbinder?” She asked, leaning against one of the walls. 

       “I think we’re gonna work in here today for some of practice,” he said, crossing his arms as he walked up to her. 

       “I thought we were doing base coverage drills?” 

       “We were. But that can wait until Friday. We need to start putting some muscle on our boys, Haught.”

       She nodded her head along as he spoke. She agreed with him there. Some of those boys were pretty scrawny. “Are we gonna start working weights every Wednesday then?”

       “I think so,” he confirmed.

       She nodded her head, pushing off the wall. “Cool with me,” she smiled. They walked out of the room to head to the front to wait for the team to arrive. Their star pitcher (well, star player actually), Jax Carlton, arrived with the 3rd baseman, Reuben Paderson. 

       “Morning,” they both greeted. 

       “Morning,” Nicole smirked, pushing Reuben’s knee in with her shoe as he walked past. “Set your stuff in the infield and start your warm-ups.” He kicked her shin before nodding and heading off to do what she told them to. 

       In came the rest soon after. Trey Lincoln, right fielder. Miguel and Robbie Sanchez, 1st and 2nd basemen. Oscar Shaw, sub pitcher/catcher. Zak Woods, sub fielder. Owen Yarber, shortstop. Devon Hartford, catcher (total asshole, in Nicole’s opinion), Kaleb Knoxing, sub for bases. T.J. Bennington, sub pitcher. Callum Moore, left fielder. Carson Smith, center fielder (Literally 6’3 at 13). Leon Harris, sub fielder. 

       Nicole was just about to walk off and watch the kids warm up when Orion ran in the door. “Sorry I’m late,” he mumbled, rushing past her.

       She cocked an eyebrow, jogging to catch up with him. “Hey, Orion, wait!” She called. He didn’t stop. She gently grabbed his shoulder, stepping in front of him. “What’s up, kid?” She asked looking down at him. His baseball cap was covering the top half of his face and she wanted him to look up at her, so she tipped it up with her finger.

       Her eyes widened and she dropped down to a knee, grabbing onto one of his arms. 

       “What happened?” She asked softly, looking at his probably-day-old-or-two black eye. 

       “I got hit with a ball,” he mumbled, not really meeting her eyes. 

       “When?” 

       “At practice on Monday,” he informed. If he had, she wouldn’t have known. She had been helping Waverly pack, so she had skipped practice.

       But she wasn’t so sure that he had, either way. 

       “Are you sure that’s what happened, Bud?” She looked up at him with soft eyes. He nodded his head, pulling his cap back down and running off to join the other boys doing their warm-ups. 

       She didn’t usually pick favorites. She didn’t have a favorite food, a favorite color. But if there was one thing that she did pick favorites on, it was with this team. She told herself she didn’t, but she knew damn well she did. Orion was a great kid. He was a good catcher, funny, smart, cared about everyone. He might have been a little smaller and quieter than all the other boys, but that was what Nicole liked about him. 

       And something about this rubbed her the wrong way. 

       She had seen him with the occasional bruise or scrape on his arms and legs, but this was different. 

       She stood up from her kneeled position and adjusted the snapback on her head, pushing a hand through her hair before placing it back on. She saw Marty talking to Leon and Kaleb when she walked into the infield. 

       “Can I talk to you for a sec, Coach?” She asked, looking towards the two boys with raised eyebrows. They seemed to have gotten the hint and walked off to continue with their warm-ups. 

       “I don’t like that look on your face, Haught.”

       She took a few steps closer to him. “I don't like that shiner on Wu’s face,” she pointed out, glancing in his direction.

       Marty’s eyebrows raised. “He’s got a shiner? From what?” 

       “He told _me_ he got hit with a ball at practice Monday.” 

       The other coach shook his head. “Not on my watch, he didn’t. I talked to him right after we finished out catch and tag drill and he was fine. That was the only time we used balls all practice.” Nicole looked in his direction quietly for a minute. He was laughing away with Callum. 

       “You think one of the boys did it?” She asked. 

       “It’s a pretty big possibility,” he sighed, rubbing his face. “Let’s just . . . keep an eye out. See if anyone is picking on him. And we’ll go from there.”

       Nicole nodded in agreement. “Yep.” She pushed herself away from the wall and walked towards the boys. “Gather up, Devils, let’s get going!” She shouted. They all came over and stood in front of her and Marty. 

       “I know we told you we were going some base coverage drills, but there has been a change in plans. Follow me.” They all began to walk towards the weight room. Nicole walked behind the huddle. 

       “Hey, Where’s Scotty?” She asked Robbie, noticing he hadn’t shown up today. 

       “Probably smoking pot with his brothers,” he shrugged. Scotty Schlemmer was the 16th player on the team and their other base sub.

       Her brows shot up. “What?!”

       He looked towards her, a confused look on his face. “He’s a Schlemmer, 2 older brothers are the potheads of West-End. C’mon, Coach Officer, you didn’t know that?” She knew the name. In fact, knew the eldest brother, Jacob, quite well. She had arrested him twice now. She just hadn’t put two and two together hearing Scotty’s last name. 

       Well, good to know. 

       “Of course I know the name, who do you think I am?” She scoffed, bumping his shoulder. “And y'all are really gonna stick with that, huh? Coach Officer?” 

       He laughed, along with a couple of the other guys near him. “It’s gotta ring to it,” he smirked. She rolled her eyes at him. 

       “Listen to your Coach, Sanchez,” she sighed, hearing Marty beginning to talk again.

       She walked around to him. “We will be spending an hour in here every Wednesday from now on. And if your parents have a problem with me buffing their kids up, tell them to give me a call,” he said with a wink. 

       “Coach?” Devon called out.

       “What?” 

       “Do we have to? I do all of this at home anyway. I’d rather use practice for, ya know, _practice_.”

       Marty nodded his head at him for a long couple of seconds. “Do you want to play this year, Hartford?” 

       “Obviously,” he scoffed. The Officer bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from rolling her eyes at him. 

       “Then I’d suggest you start pumping some metal because I’ve got two other boys that would _love_ to take your spot _without_ giving me smack every two seconds. _Fix it_. Or you’ll be a benchwarmer.”

       The curly-headed boy licked the inside of his bottom lip. “Yes, Sir.” 

       The Coach nodded his head with a stern glare before looking up at the rest of the team. “There is one more thing I would like to talk about with all of you . . . I’ve been a PE teacher at your school for about 4 years now. So that means I’ve known most of you since, what? 3rd or 4th grade, depending on what grade you guys are going into?” Not only was Mr. Fasbinder the baseball coach, but he was also the Kindergarten through 6th grade PE teacher for the school. “What has _always_ been my _number one_ rule?” A few hands when up around the room. “Yarber?” 

       “Work hard, play harder,” Owen smirked.

       Marty chuckled. “Yea, that’s up on my list, but not number one.” He called on a few more people, most giving stupid, smart-ass answers that got a laugh out of everyone. 

       “C’mon guys!” He exclaimed exasperatedly. “Bullying!” He said, hitting the side of his hand against his palm. “I _hate_ bullying. You all know this. I even formed the anti-bullying committee. This isn’t a topic I tread on lightly . . . And with that being said. I am going to _remind_ you that you are a _team_. Every single one of the boys around you are your _brothers_. So. If I find out that things are happening _within_ this team, you _will_ be consequented.” He gave a sweep of his eyes across all of their faces. “Do I make myself clear?” 

       “Yes, Coach,” the boys chorused. 

       “Good,” he said with a tight-lipped smile. He gave a nod to Nicole

       “I want you in groups with your positions. Outfielders. Infielders. And pitchers and catchers. That is how you need to get sorted in this room every Wednesday. You’ll have a station and we will switch every 20 minutes.” She clapped her hands and the boys began to split up. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The clock ticked past 2:30, so Waverly skipped over to the back to put her and Nicole’s orders in. She had a pretty good day so far. No dumbasses had bothered her. No one made a huge mess anywhere that she had to clean up. She was just cruising along, chatting up all the patrons. 

       Walking back behind the bar, she saw a new group of men seated at the bar, so she quickly took their orders, setting their drinks in front of them with a smile. 

       “‘Scuse me, Babe.”

       The brunette turned her head with a cocked eyebrow, feeling Rosita’s hand on her hip as she bent down beside her to grab some glasses. “Oop, sorry!” She apologized, moving out of her way. 

       Her and Rosita had grown closer over the past few months. Most of the time, their shifts overlapped so they certainly got to spend a lot of time with each other. And she couldn’t be happier. Rosita was one of the first female bartenders she had gotten along with working there. That might have been because she was an _Earp_ or whatever, but she was happy she finally found someone to hang out with. 

       “Hey, Rosie, can I talk to you for a sec?” She asked with a smile. 

       “Sure!” 

       “So. I was thinking. _Maybe_ sometime this week I could invite you, Jessie, and Chrissy over to our house and we could have, like, a girl’s night or something?” 

       Rosita’s face lit up. “That is the best idea I think I have _ever_ heard!” 

       “You’re in?!” Waverly asked with a bigger smile.

       “Of course I’m in!” She squealed, grabbing onto each of her hands. They immediately started figuring out details, planning out what they were going to do. 

       “Hey,” Rosita started, lowering her excitement level by like 5 notches a couple of minutes later. “You said _our_  house. Did you and Nicole move in together?” 

       She clapped her hands together in excitement. “Yes! We got everything moved last night!” 

       Rosita nodded her head with wide eyes and an opened, somewhat surprised, smile. “Wow,” she said, a little unenthusiastic, but Waverly didn’t catch it over the sounds of her squealing. “Haven’t you two only been together a few months, though?” 

       “Well, yea. But we already know we’re going to be together for, _well_ , probably forever, so.” She gave her a one-shouldered shrug.

       Rosita nodded her head with the same odd smile on her face. “That’s great, Waves. I’m happy for you,” she said sweetly. Waverly smile creased her eyes as she pulled her into a hug. 

       Little did the younger Earp know, Nicole had just walked up to the bar behind her. Rosita made eye contact with her, face growing smug, almost into a snarl. The Officer pushed her tongue up on the sides of her molars as she tapped her fingers annoyedly on the counter with a glare, waiting for her to detach herself from _her_ girlfriend. This wasn’t the first look she had gotten from Rosita either. Not that Waverly knew anything about that, though. 

       The darker-haired woman finally pulled away from her, giving her a smile. “I think _somebody’s_ here to see you,” she singsonged, slowly turning her around.

       Waverly gasped, rushing over to her. “Hi, Baby!” She jumped up on her toes, pulling her into a teeth-knocking kiss. Nicole slid her hands down to her hips, calming herself down a little. She knew that the brunette was _still_ oblivious to the fact that Rosita was into her. 

       “Hi,” she smiled sweetly. “How’s your day been?” She asked as Waverly walked them over to a table. 

       “Really good! How was practice?” 

       Nicole sat down at the booth across from the smaller girl. “Pretty good, yea. Kaleb the Clutz dropped a 30-pound dumbbell on my foot, but everything else was good.” 

       Waverly scrunched her face up. “Ow. Are you ok?” 

       “Oh, yea, I’ll be good,” she said, waving her hand around.

       Waverly let out a sigh of relief before calling the waitress over. “Hey, I put our order in about 15 minutes ago. Can you go see if they got it ready and tell Shorty I’m on break?” She nodded sweetly. “Thanks!” The girl walked away. She looked back to the redhead, who was subconsciously tapping her thumb on the table as she chewed her cheek. “What’re you thinking about?” Waverly asked, furrowing her brow as she slid her hand across the table, stilling her drumming finger.

       Nicole looked up at her, pursing her lips and rubbing her face with her hands. “So, you know Orion?” She asked, slouching forward a bit. 

       “You’re favorite?” 

       “No- He’s not my _favorite_.” 

       “Yes he is, but _anyway_ , continue,” she said with a smile.

       Nicole threw her a look, though she really did know it was true. “Anyway. He rushed in today all spazzy and when I went to ask him what his deal was, I saw he had this big ass black eye.” 

       “Oh no,” she said quietly, mood shifting. 

       “Yea. And we think one of the other boys gave it to him,” she sighed. 

       “That’s _horrible_.” She placed her hand over Nicole’s again. “Are you going to look into it? Like, investigate or something?” 

       “All we can really do right now is wait and see if someone picks on him in front of us. Fasbinder told them they need to check themselves today, but if we rush in and start asking questions guns blazing, we are going to lose all of their trust . . . I dunno. I just don’t like seeing kids getting hurt and being too scared to speak up about it.” 

       The brunette ran her thumb over her hand sympathetically. “I’m sure you are going to get to the bottom of it,” she soothed. She looked over to see the waitress coming over with their food. She set it down with a smile and walked off. 

       “How’d you know what I wanted?” Nicole asked with a smile. 

       “You always get the same exact thing, Nic,” she said with a laugh. “ _Chicken salad sandwich, no pickles, and a banana milkshake_ ,” she recited in her best Nicole impression. 

       “I do _not_ sound like that,” she groaned, sticking a fry into her mouth. 

       “Yes, you do.” 

       “I do not.

       “Yea-huh.” 

       “Nuh-uh.”

       “Uh-huh!”

       “Nuh-uh!” 

       “Yea-huh!” 

       “ _Hi, I’m Waverly Earp and if I could be anythinnnnng I wanted, I would be a professional unicorn rider_!” She ended it with a huge toothy smile and a wave. 

       “Oh my God, you _ass_!” She snatched a handful of fries from her plate. 

       “Hey! You have some!” 

       “You deserved that,” she huffed with a smile, sticking a few in her mouth. “And FYI,” she dropped her voice to a whisper, “if I could be _anything_ , I’d _be_ the _unicorn_.” Nicole shook her head at her, biting her cheeks to contain the bubble of laughter trying to escape. 

 

 **.  .  .**  

 

       The girls finished their lunch happily and parted ways so Nicole could head home and get ready for work while Waverly finished up the last of her shift. 

       Now home, Waverly popped some music on, grabbed a box, and started sorting through it. She was going to try and get everything unpacked and set up in the next 5 days because that is when they planned to have their “Girl’s Night”. 

       After a couple of excruciatingly _boring_ hours of that, she hunkered down on the couch and spread all of her papers out, ready to finally get some school work done. To say anything she had done so far had been _hard_ , she would be lying. She was zooming through all of her classes with flying colors. Was it possible to get your “4-year degree” in a year? She didn’t know. Was she gonna try to? Obviously. She knew there was still a lot she had to do _in_ _person_. She had to student teach for about 6 months at the end and she was excited. The further and further she got into the process of becoming a teacher, the more and more excited she was. She still didn’t know what grade she would be teaching, and if it was Jr. High, which class she would be teaching. But she didn’t care. She’d teach at any position. All she wanted was to help kids grow to their fullest potential. Whether it was 5-year-olds or 14-year-olds, she couldn’t give a care less. 

       The only downfall to her flying through all of her work and classes was that it obviously took time. And time was not something she had a lot of these days. Black Badge and Shorty’s took up a lot of it, not to mention spending time with family. So, when she did have time. She used it. And oh how she used it. 

       When Waverly Earp was in the zone, you did not bother her. You did not try and talk to her, you did not ask her any questions. Hell, you didn’t even _touch_ her. You were just better off staying in the other room.

       Nicole, unfortunately, had to learn that the hard way. 

       AKA, almost getting her head tore off by an angry pint-sized brunette that could stir up enough madness to knock a house down. Twice. 

       And it was no confusing matter whether or not she was in the zone. Oh, you knew. She would have her bright pink Beats on her head at full blast and a mug of her soothing sunshine herbal tea in the near proximity of her. 

       And with those two things, Waverly Earp was golden. 

       She could read, research, write, type, take notes, cite, create slideshow presentations, make any kind of graph you could think of. She always knew what she had to do and how she was going to do it. 

       Time would move at an abnormal speed when she was in the zone. She could sit down at the table after breakfast and remove her headphones, thinking it had only been an hour or so, but it turns out it was almost dinner. 

       This was much the case she was in right now. She saw the door open out of the corner of her eye, so she immediately checked the time, not realizing that Nicole would be home already. What she hadn’t expected to see was that it was 5 in the morning. 

       Nicole should have gotten off of work at _2_. She removed her headphones, ready to question why she hadn’t texted her that she would be home late. 

       But looking up at the Officer, that thought immediately flew out the window. 

       Nicole Haught was a sopping wet mess. Her hair was drenched, clothes soaked from head to toe. 

       That was not her concern. 

       Her concern was the _blood_. 

       The blood covering her hands. The darker patches she saw on the front of her uniform. She smears on her face and neck. 

       Her eyes were lifeless. Like her soul had floated away hours ago. Her mouth was set in a straight line. She was so pale. It was like she had never even seen the sun in a photo. 

       It wasn’t until now that Waverly realized her own mouth was hanging open. She blinked a few times, hearing a crack of thunder shake the house from the still-open door. She stood up on shaky legs, setting the Beats down gently on the table. 

       Whoever just walked into this house was not the Nicole that she left at Shorty’s.

       “Baby . . . What happened?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may yell and scream at me below
> 
> Whatever makes you feel better
> 
>  
> 
> Forgive me WayHaught, for I have sinned


	49. Stay With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to Nicole?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not that shocking
> 
> But this one is a little graphic
> 
> So be wary
> 
> Ok maybe a lot graphic
> 
> But what did you expect?

       “Baby . . . What happened?” Waverly asked, slowly walking over to her. The redhead followed her with her eyes as she closed the door behind her. Waverly moved in front of her, eyes tracing over her face. Nicole barely met her eyes. It was like she was looking straight through her. Now being so close to her, she was sure the blood wasn’t her’s. A small relief, but a relief, nonetheless. “Ok, Love . . . Let’s . . . Let’s go get you cleaned up.” She gently placed her hand on the small of her back and guided her to the bathroom. “I’m going to go get you some dry clothes, ok?” The redhead brought her eyes to meet her’s for a second and she took that as a yes.

       She rushed into the bedroom and grabbed her favorite hoodie and a pair of shorts and some stuff for herself. She walked back in and found her staring at herself in the mirror with an unreadable face. Her top lip was hitched slightly and her eyes were locked on their own reflection. She set the pile down and started up the shower, warmer than usual for her. After getting the Officer stripped out of her soaked uniform, she jumped out of her own clothes and got Nicole eased under the water. 

       The Deputy looked down at the red-tinted water, watching it swirl down the drain as Waverly reached around her body and rubbed the blood off of her hands and arms. She let out a shaky sigh, leaning back into the small girl. Waverly moved around to her front and cupped her face in her hands, running her thumb across the smears that hadn’t washed off all the way. “It’s gonna be ok,” she soothed. 

       She got Nicole dry and dressed after the shower, taking her into the bedroom and getting her into bed. She turned the lights off and laid down next to her, pulling her into her arms, feeling her curl her fingers tightly around the front of her shirt. She pushed her fingers through her hair gently, hoping and praying she could sleep this off and be able to talk about it in the morning. And, frankly. She was terrified. 

       After about two hours of lying awake, she swore she heard something mumbled against her neck. She sat back a little bit, looking down at her face. “What, Baby?” She asked in a whisper, tipping her head up. 

       She saw the color had returned to her face. Her lips had returned to their normal pink and her cheeks regained their red tint. 

       Nicole met her eyes. Actually met her eyes. Not just a glance over. She locked her own on Waverly’s for the first time. 

       “What’d you say, Nic?” She asked again softly. The redhead swallowed, eyes welling up with tears. Waverly cupped her cheek, eyes filling with worry again. 

       “I killed somebody, Wave.”  

       The brunette’s eyes closed as she listened to the redhead begin to retell the events of her night.

 

**-  -  -**

 

       “I will bet you $50 that you _cannot_ do that. There is no way.” You see, Lonnie is a very special soul. And it was proven more so when he bet that Nicole couldn’t hit the marker standing up on his desk off with a pencil topper from the other side of the room. 

       “Yea?” The redhead asked, holding back her smirk. 

       “Shake on it,” he grinned, holding out his hand. She raised her eyebrows, connecting their hands in a firm handshake. “Well, Boys, looks like I’m eating good tonight,” he bragged, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest. Nicole sucked in a breath, shaking her head at him as she lined up her throw, flicking it across the room with a sidearm toss. 

       She gave him a dimpled smile as the sound of the marker clacking against the tiles filled the room. “ _Looks like I’m eating good tonight_ ,” she smirked in a low voice, holding her hand out. He rolled his eyes, smacking the $50 into her hand. 

       “You just got lucky,” he mumbled, turning away. 

       “Oh, did I forget to mention that I was America's best catcher in high school? _Whoopsie_ ,” she shrugged, shoving her thumbs into her belt. 

       “You’re an ass, Haught.” 

       “Oh, c’mon, Looney Toons, you love my ass,” she protested. He turned to look at her with a glare. 

       “ _Haught_ ,” Nedley grumbled, poking his head out from his office, giving her a knowing look. 

       “Sorry,” she mumbled, holding back a smile. He shook his head at her with a chuckle, walking back in and closing his door. She shoved the bill into her wallet and walked off to the break room to pour herself a cup of coffee before heading to go do paperwork. 

       Her radio fizzed over mid-pour. “We’ve got a domestic disturbance at 531 Barkley Drive with shots fired. All units respond.” Nicole’s eyes snapped to the other deputy in the room before she took off to her office to grab her bulletproof vest, slipping it on over her uniform. 

       “What else you got, Lucy?” She asked the dispatcher. 

       “Boy called it in. Says his step-dad has a gun on his mom. The shot was aimed at the wall to scare her.”

       She let out a grunt as she jumped into her car. “Jesus Christ,” she mumbled to herself before flicking her sirens on and speeding off, pushing the button on her radio. “We got a name to go off?” 

       “Step-dad’s name is William Adams.” 

       The redhead let out a scoff. “I guess all wife-beaters are named _William_.” She pressed the button on her radio. “How many other people are in the house?” 

       “3,” Lucy answered. “Mom, boy, and little brother.” She nodded, taking a sharp corner, speeding down Barkley Drive. “Officers. The line was just cut. I think he’s got the boys.” 

       “Shit,” the Officer said through gritted teeth, skidding to a stop in front of the house. The 4 other cruisers came to a halt all around her. She climbed out and rushed over to Nedley. “What’s the plan, Sheriff?” She asked, checking the clip in her pistol.

       He cleared his throat and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the other approaching Deputies. “Haught, if you need to hang back on this one, we have enough men to handle this.” 

       She let out a confused laugh. “Why would I need to-” Her eyes settled on his face and she pursed her lips, standing up straighter. “Sir, with all due respect, I joined this force _knowing_ that I may run into a situation much like my _personal_ experience with a crazed lunatic, so if you will _excuse me_ , there are two young boys in that house scared _shitless_ of the madman with a gun coming after them and I’d like to do my duty and _help_ them.” She pushed past him and walked back over to her colleagues. Nedley followed and her and the other Deputies stood around him as he began to go over the game plan. 

       As Nicole listened to Nedley explain how this was going to go, she scanned her eyes around the house. She squinted into the garage, thinking she saw a familiar baseball bag sitting in the garage. Her heart dropped to her feet.

       “Lucy, I need a name on the kid,” she sputtered out, gripping the cruiser door she was standing next to. 

       “I didn’t get a last name, but his first name’s Orion.”

       Her eyes bugged out of her head as she cocked her gun. “We’re moving in. _Now_ ,” she ordered, giving a stern eye to Nedley. She and the other three quickly moved up towards the door. 

       “Sorry, I didn’t realize _Haught_ took my position,” the Sheriff barked at them.

       Nicole spun around to face him. “Nedley, one of my _boys_ are in that house,” she snapped, pointing to the door. “I’m not lollygagging anymore.”

       His eyes widened and he looked towards the front door, clenching his jaw. “Let’s go.” She gave him a firm nod and moved to her position next to the side of the house and Nedley moved to his own on the opposite side, testing the doorknob, proving it was locked. “Purgatory Sheriff’s Department! We’re coming in!” Nedley stepped back and kicked the door in, and they stormed into the house, beginning to do a sweep. Schmitt and Lonnie headed to the left towards the dining room and kitchen and Haught, Wagner, and Nedley headed towards the right towards the stairs. Her radio fizzed. 

       “Dispatch, I need a bus at this location. Mother is unconscious from blunt force trauma to the head,” Schmitt called over. She sucked in a breath, heading up the stairs with the other two right behind her. They heard a scream, presumably by the younger boy, from the room at the end of the hall. Officer Haught jogged quietly to the door, looking back to the other two and getting a nod from Nedley before swinging the door open and raising her gun.

       Faster than a blink, a black-haired shirtless man yanked Orion up off of the floor where he had been beating on him and held him in front of him, shoving the gun against the side of his head. 

       Nicole’s heartbeat skyrocketed and she locked eyes with Orion.

       “Don’t come any closer or I’ll shoot ‘em!” He warned.

       “Drop the gun, William!” Nedley ordered. 

       “Make me, Pig!” He slurred. 

       “C’mon, Will, you don’t wanna do this!” Wagner pleaded. “Just put the gun down!”

       Nicole traced her eyes around the room, seeing the little boy, probably 2 or 3 years old, holding his knees to his chest in the closet. Orion started squirming around in his arms, trying to get away. “Orion, stay still! It’s ok. Just stay still,” the redhead blurted, widening her eyes at him. His eyes shot up to her face, tears streaming down his cheeks as he stopped moving. 

       The three spent the next 10 minutes trying to convince William to let the boy go, but he wouldn’t budge. He was convinced that he was _their_ father because he was married to their mom and apparently the boys wouldn’t call him dad. It also didn’t help that he was _more_ than drunk.

       “William! This isn’t going to end well either way. You’re either walking out of here in cuffs or a body bag! Take your pick!” Nedley warned. 

       “What? Ya gonna kill me? Do it. I dare ya!” 

       “I know you don’t want that,” Nicole said, shaking her head. “You say you’re the father to these kids? You want them to see their dad killed right in front of them?”

       The man’s face twitched with anger. “Maybe I should take this one down with me then, huh?!” He pushed the gun harder against his head. 

       “No, William! Just let him go. Let’s end this peacefully, alright?!” Wagner begged.

       Nicole could tell he was getting more and more agitated by the second. 

       And the rest happened in slow motion. 

       “Yea, well, maybe I don’t wanna do that!” The man shifted both of their bodies to face Nicole and moved the gun against Orion’s back. 

_POW! POW! POW!_

       The three officers jumped away from the line of fire as he shot _through_ the boy at them. Orion wailed in agony, bullets ripping through his body. The younger boy in the closet screamed his name. Officer Haught rolled to face the man, seeing him trying to stand the boy up straight to shoot at her again. She lifted the gun, aiming towards the man’s head. 

_POW!_

       A tear rolled down her cheek as both of their bodies slumped to the ground. She dropped the gun and crawled towards the boy, pulling his head into her lap. 

       “Orion!” She pushed the hair out of his face, placing her hands on his wounds to try and slow the bleeding. “Orion, look at me.” His fluttering eyes slowly met her eyes. 

       “It . . . It hurts, Coach,” he choked out. 

       “I know,” she sniffed. “I know. Shh.” Wagner dropped down beside her and took his uniform shirt off, handing it to her to hold against his wounds. “Go- Go get his brother out of here,” she told him. He quickly stood, rushing over to the closet and picking the screaming little boy up, carrying him out of the room. She could faintly hear Nedley communicating with the dispatcher over the thoughts plowing through her mind. 

       “You’re gonna be ok. Stay with me. Orion, stay with me!” His eyes slowly rolled back, lids closing. “Nonono, Orion, wake up! No!” Nedley dropped to his knees beside her, taking her position holding the shirt against his torso. She scooted from underneath his body, pressing her fingers against his neck, feeling no pulse. “Nono, you are _not_ dying on me, kid!” She sobbed, starting CPR. 

       “Dispatch! You put a _damn_ rush on that bus for this kid! He’s lost a pulse!” Nedley screamed into his radio.

       Nicole stopped compressions, blowing two breaths of air into his lungs. She began again, tears streaming down her face as she felt his ribs cracking under the force of her hands. “You are not dying today, Orion, do you hear me?! I’m _not_ going to let you die!” She delivered CPR to the boy until a handful of EMT’s rushed into the room a few minutes later. They had to pull her off of him so they could take over and Nedley grabbed onto her. 

       “They’re gonna take care of him, Nicole. They know what they’re doing,” he soothed, keeping her away from him as they began to work.

       “H-He can’t die. They can’t let him die. H-He never did anything wrong, Randy.” 

       “I know. I know, Kid,” he nodded. He grabbed her shoulders and stepped in front of her. “You need to pull it together, Nicole. That _boy_ needs you to pull it together.”

       She blinked at him for a few long seconds, final tears spilling out of her eyes. She cleared her throat, wiping her face as she watched them carry Orion out on a gurney. “Ok. Ok.” They walked downstairs and outside, watching them load him up. “Sheriff, can I go with him? Please? I-I need to go with him,” she begged.

       He looked up at her with soft eyes. “Go. I’ll get the paperwork started.” He clapped her shoulder. She gave him a nod as a thank you and ran over to the ambulance, jumping into it right before they closed the doors. 

       The vehicle sped off as the men got him hooked up to a hundred different machines, poking and prodding him with needles. 

       “PULSE!” One shouted. “I’ve got a pulse!” Her head lifted from her hands, eyes wide. Then men began to work faster, doing everything they could to stop, or at least slow, the bleeding.

       Over the ride, they lost and gained his pulse three more times. They quickly got him out of the ambulance and rushed him inside, a whole gaggle of nurses and doctors beginning to work around him, shouting different doctor terms that she couldn’t understand. 

       “Officer, we need you to wait out here,” one of the nurses directed, grabbing onto her arm and pulling her into a small waiting room outside of the trauma unit. “Can I get you anything?”

       She shook her head sharply. “No, no. I’m fine. H-How’s his mom? She got brought in earlier.” 

       “I think she is conscious now. I can take you to see her if you’d like?”

       Nicole shook her head again. “I-I think I’d just scare her even more walking in there like . . . well, like this. If you could tell her what’s going on, that’d be great.” 

       The lady nodded. “I will do that right away, Officer,” she said, turning around. 

       “One more thing?” Nicole called after her. “Update me on his condition if anything changes. Immediately,” she ordered. 

       The nurse nodded again, slower this time. “Yes, Officer.” She turned away again, rushing off to Orion’s mother’s room. She pushed her hands down her legs as she took a seat, pulling her phone out of her pocket to check the time. She knew it was about 2 when she left the station. 

       Her phone screen was shattered. She figured when she jumped out of the way she had landed on it. She shoved it back with a sigh, squinting up at the clock on the other side of the room. It was now almost 3. She let out another sigh, dropping her head back into her hands.

       She wasn’t a religious person. Yea, she celebrated Christmas, but that was for the family and giving gifts part. 

       But at that moment in time. 

       Nicole Haught prayed. 

       She prayed to whatever entity could possibly be watching over them.

       That that kid would make it. That Orion would live. 

       She didn’t know if it was possible. She didn’t know what organs those bullets shot through. She didn’t know what damage they had caused. 

       But she didn’t care.

       Orion Wu was a fighter. And she didn’t want this battle to be his last. 

       The nurse tapping on her shoulder dragged her out of her thoughts. “We’re rushing Orion to surgery. He has a stable pulse right now and we need to remove the bullet fragments and repair his intestines because bowel liquids are spilling out into his body.” 

       “Do whatever you need to do,” she mumbled. The woman nodded, rushing away again. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “I shot a guy, Randy,” she said, slowly looking up at her boss a couple of hours later. “I killed him. Right in front of those kids.” 

       “Hey. That _bastard_ deserved to die and you know that. He would have killed Orion or one of us. Hell, maybe both. Don’t beat yourself up, ok? Trust me when I tell ya that your first is always the hardest.” She hugged her arms tightly around herself, looking down at the floor of the hospital. She _knew_ he deserved to die. He deserved much worse than that, but death was the next best thing. 

       But it all just kept replaying over and over. 

       He shot through Orion. She jumped out of the way. She shot William and watched him fall lifelessly to the ground. She held the _child_ as he died and then tried with everything she had to bring him back to life. 

       She knew she would never forget the way his eyes rolled back or how it felt to have bones crack and break under your hands. 

       A shiver crept up her spine and she couldn’t take it anymore. She shot up from her seat and smacked her card onto the counter, telling the lady to call her when he got out of surgery. She made a mad dash out of the doors of the hospital.

       Right into the rainy darkness. 

       A storm must have rolled around since she had gotten there. The Officer stood right in the middle of the walkway of the entrance to the hospital, looking up into the cloud-covered sky, feeling the large raindrops pummel onto her face and all over her body as she began to pray again. 

       A pair of hands grabbed onto her shoulders about a minute or two later, pushing her forward. “Do you want to get struck by lightning?” She heard the gruff voice of Nedley as she was pushed towards his cruiser. “I’m taking you home, Haught. Get in the car.” 

 

**-  -  -**

 

       “An-and he’s probably dead right now and the-there’s nothing I-I can do!” Nicole bawled as Waverly wrapped her arms around her as tight as possible. 

       “No,” she sniffled. “Stop saying that. You don’t know that, Baby.” 

       “H-He lost so much blood an-and he could barely hold a pulse for 15 minutes. I don’t see how they can fix him, Wave.”

       The brunette pulled away from her, holding her head in her hands. “What Orion needs right now is some _faith_. You need to _believe_ that those doctors are going to work a miracle and that he is going to pull through this. That’s all you can do, Baby.” More tears poured out of the redhead’s eyes as she wrapped her arms around her again. Waverly laid them down and pulled the blanket back over them. “I need you to get some sleep, Nic,” she whispered. 

       “No. When the hospital calls, I’m going up there.” 

       Waverly pursed her lips. “I’ll watch your phone, Love. I’ll wake you up right when you get the call, ok?” She looked down at the redhead’s already drooping eyes. 

       “Ok,” she sighed.

       “Ok,” Waverly smiled, kissing her forehead. She crawled out of bed to go grab Nicole’s phone out of her uniform but heard her own ringing as she walked down the hallway. “Nedley?” She answered. 

       “Hi, Waverly,” he replied, voice sounding strained and tired. 

       “Wh-what’s going on?” She asked, bringing a hand to her mouth. 

       “Well. I told the nurses to tell _me_ when Orion got out of surgery and not to bother Nicole. And I just got the word. He’s in stable condition, just left the operating room a couple of minutes ago.” Relief rushed over the smaller girl, shoulders relaxing and hand dropping from her mouth. “Listen, Dear . . . I’d rather Nicole wait to come and visit him until she’s had some sleep and gathered herself. She was pretty shaken up tonight. I haven’t seen her like that since . . . Well. So, if you could just do me a favor and wait to tell her until she’s slept this off?” 

       “Of course, Sheriff. I didn’t plan on her going in the state she’s in anyways. I just got her to lay down now.” 

       She heard him sigh loudly into the phone. “Thank you, Waverly. I’ll have someone drop her car, gun, and vest off later. She left it all at the scene . . . And, uhm, if she needs a few days off, that’s fine with me, too. She’s a great Deputy. I just think this one hit a little too close to home . . . in a few ways.” 

       The brunette nodded her head. She did agree with him there. “I’ll watch over her, Sir. She won’t be back until her head’s on straight and I can guarantee you that.” 

       “Good luck with that one. Tell her I’m already filling her shift for the next 3 days, so if she does want to come back, she won’t have a shift to work.” 

       “Will do, Nedley. Thanks again . . . And thanks for taking care of her tonight. I don’t know where she’d be if you wouldn’t have driven her home.”

       “It’s no problem. I’ll check in later to see how she’s doing.”

       “Sounds good. Talk to you later, Sheriff.” 

       “Bye, Waverly.” She hung up the phone and let out another sigh as she walked to the bathroom, pulling the still-wet pants out of the sink and emptying her pockets, laying all of her cards and money in her wallet out to dry. She tried to turn the phone on, but the screen stayed dark. She wasn’t sure if it was because she had _really_ broken it or if it had gotten too wet. She tossed it back onto the pile of clothes with a sigh. Either way, she needed a new phone. Crawling into bed next to the sleeping redhead, she curled behind her, wrapping her into a spoon and pulling closer. 

       She had always thought it was weird that Nicole used feminine body wash and Old Spice shampoo. She insisted that she “just really liked the smell of it”. It’s not that she minded. She liked the smell of it too. 

       But it broke her heart a little bit now. Because Nicole had grabbed the first shampoo bottle in the shower that she saw today. And it hadn’t been her own.

       The smell of her own strawberry shampoo wafted into her nose with every breath. 

       And it was just another reminder that the Nicole she had left at Shorty’s yesterday was not the same Nicole that she was holding right now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if there are mistakes
> 
> I wanted to get this chapter out tonight and it's late, so my eyes aren't working right


	50. Nothing Can Change That

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole learns of Orion's condition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you guys officially learned how horrible of a person I am in the last chapter.
> 
> Let's see if your opinions change or not with this one.

****Nicole’s eyes slowly opened. She felt a small arm wrapped around her middle holding her tightly. She let out a small sigh, feeling safe in her girlfriend’s arms. A gentle kiss was pressed into the back of her neck. “Morning, Baby,” Waverly whispered.

       Nicole flipped over in her arms to face her. “Morning,” she mumbled back, looking up at her smiling face.

       Waverly brushed her hand softly through her hair, moving strands out of her face. “Sleep good?” She asked, kissing her forehead. 

       “Mhm.” Her eyes slowly drooped back shut after a few more seconds of the smaller girl pushing her fingers through her hair. 

       Images of the night before suddenly flashed in front of her eyes, causing them to shoot back open. “ _Orion_.” She flicked the blankets off of herself and made a move to dash off of the bed, but the smaller girl straddled her hips, pressing her hands into her shoulders to hold her down. “Waver-”

       “Calm down, Baby. He’s fine. They fixed him,” she assured.

       Her eyes widened. “Wh- He- You-”

       “Nedley called me earlier and told me.”

       Her eyes grew even wider. “When?!” 

       Waverly reached and grabbed her phone off the edge of the bed. “He called right after you fell asleep. It’s about 11 now.” 

       Nicole began squirming again. “I told you to tell me, Waverly, I gotta go see him,” she mumbled almost in a growl.

       Waverly grabbed her face with both hands. “Nicole. Stop it.” The redhead stopped moving, looking up at her with scared eyes. “You’re not going anywhere until you calm down. Take a breath, Love.”

       Nicole let out a shaky exhale, slowly pulling in some air. “I-I have to work at 1, how’m I-”

       “No, Baby,” Waverly said softly, shaking her head. “Nedley pulled you off the roster for the next three days. He doesn’t want you back until you’re ok again.” 

       She furrowed her brows tightly. “I _am_ ok, what the hell-”

       The brunette gently pushed a hand through her hair. “Shh. You’re not ok, Baby. I know you _want_ to be ok. But you’re not.” Nicole let out a small whimper, bringing her eyes away from her face. “C’mere,” Waverly whispered, sitting up and climbing off of her. The Officer slowly sat up and scooted over to her, crawling into her lap. Waverly hugged her arms around her middle and the redhead clutched her arms around her neck, burying her face into her shoulder. 

       They sat there in a silent embrace for an hour. Nicole’s weight pressing down onto her legs made her feet that were tucked under them go numb after about 10 minutes, but she didn’t care. Her fingers clawed _hard_ into her shoulders, and Waverly knew she’d have bruises. But she didn’t care.

       She didn’t care at all.

       The redhead shakily sat back after a few more minutes, looking down at her face. “Thank you,” she breathed silently. 

       “Anything, Love." Nicole gave her a small smile, rubbing her thumbs along her neck. She tipped her head up, giving her a soft kiss, body completely relaxing in her lap. Waverly pulled back after a few seconds. “You think you will be ok going to Denny’s this morning?” Her smile widened and she leaned forward, mumbling a yes against her lips. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Are you sure you don’t want any more, Honey?” Waverly asked with furrowed brows. The Deputy had only eaten half a pancake and one or two pieces of bacon. 

       “I’m not that hungry,” she mumbled, looking up at her as she sipped on her chocolate milk.

       The brunette hid her pursed lips with her coffee mug as she downed the rest of it. “Alright. Let’s get going.” They gathered their things and paid their bill, heading out to the Jeep. 

       “Can we stop by Walmart before we go?” Nicole asked as she buckled herself up. 

       “Sure, why?” She questioned as she started the car.

       “I need to get something.”

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly put the car in park outside of the hospital, giving the redhead’s hand a squeeze. “Ready?” 

       Nicole looked towards her, releasing the side of her cheek from her teeth. “Yea,” she sighed, stepping out of the car. She took Waverly’s hand and they walked inside up to the front desk. “Do you have a room number for Orion Wu?” She asked the receptionist. 

       “Uhm . . . Only family members are allowed in the ICU, Ma’am,” the woman said with an apologetic smile. Nicole leaned up against the counter and stuck her hand in her pocket, sliding her badge towards the woman with her lips set in a straight line. 

       “Room number, please?” 

       She pursed her lips at her, looking towards her computer screen. “221 . . . Officer.” Nicole gave her a smile, shoving the badge back in her pocket. She walked off towards the elevator, pulling Waverly along behind her, who mouthed a sorry to the receptionist. The redhead mashed the second floor button once they stepped in, and the brunette wrapped and arm around her waist. 

       They exited the elevator and began walking down the hallway, looking up at the room numbers as they passed them. The girls slowed to a stop right outside of Orion’s room, noticing the door was open. Nicole looked in, seeing he was awake and talking to his mom, who was in a chair next to him with his little brother on her lap. She leaned in on the door frame with a smile. “Hey, kid.” 

       The three heads turned to look at her, a big smile popping up on Orion’s face. “Hi, Coach,” he breathed softly. The little one jumped off of his mom’s lap and ran over to her, holding his hands up, wanting to be picked up. She lifted him into her arms. 

       One thing she learned had from the night before was that this little kid _loved_ monkeys. The room it all happened in was obviously his room. There were monkeys painted on the walls and he had about 500 monkey stuffed animals piled up on his bed. He had been even wearing a monkey shirt. 

       “Hi,” she smiled in a sweet voice that made Waverly’s heart melt. “I got you something.” She handed him the blue velcro-handed monkey that they had got from Walmart. 

       He took it with a gasp. “Monkey!” He squealed, holding it up for his mom to see as she walked them into the room. 

       “Another one, aye?” She said with a little laugh, giving Nicole a smile. She and Waverly sat down on the two chairs on the other side of the hospital bed, the little boy playing with his new friend in her lap with his head leaning against her chest. 

       “How’re you feeling, bud?” She asked Orion, looking up at him with furrowed brows. 

       “Ok . . . I guess,” he said with a little shrug. She nodded slowly. “How are you doing?” 

       The Officer let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her thumb on the little boy’s leg with the arm that was wrapped behind his back. “I am . . . also ok, I guess.” 

       Orion squinted at her. “Is she lying, Waverly?” He asked, shifting his eyes towards the brunette. 

       “Uhm . . .” She looked towards the redhead. “I think she is just _really_ glad that you’re all ok.” 

       Nicole nodded, giving her a half-smile. She looked down at the little one again. “What is _your_ name?” She asked, poking his stomach. 

       “Apollo,” he giggled, wrapping the monkey’s arms around her head. 

       “Well, _Apollo_ , I think _you_ just started a new fashion trend. What do you think, Wave?” She turned her head to look at her, but couldn’t see her face, for the arms were blocking her vision. 

       “I think you’re right,” she laughed, shaking her head with a disapproving look at Apollo.

       He laughed, pulling the arms away. Nicole looked down at him. “Did she lie to me?” He shook his head quickly, but the huge smile on his face told otherwise. “If you say so,” she sighed, looking back up at the family.

       The mom had tears in her eyes. “This is the first time I’ve seen him smile today,” she mumbled. The redhead looked down at the boy and pushed her hand through his messy black locks.

       She stood up and set him in Waverly’s lap, looking back up to the mother. “Can we talk . . . out there?” She asked, throwing her thumb over her shoulder. The woman nodded, standing up and walking over to her. Nicole looked towards Orion as they walked out. “Orion, you’re in charge,” she smirked. Waverly scoffed, snapping her head towards her. She shot her a wink, closing the door behind them. They walked a short distance down the hallway, finding a set of chairs to sit at. 

       “I’m . . . Eleanor, by the way.”

       “Nicole,” she greeted with a smile, shaking her hand. “So . . .  I know you’ve already probably talked to every single officer we have, I get that. So, I’m not a cop right now, I’m just your son’s baseball coach. And . . . I’m worried . . . about all of you.” 

       Eleanor looked down at her hands. “Uhm . . . I think Apollo’s a little too young to understand what happened, he’s only 3. And . . . My memory of the night’s pretty foggy. Side effect from the concussion or whatever. So . . . Orion’s the only one . . . that has to really bear the weight of all of this. And I don’t know-” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “I don’t know what to do.” 

       Nicole bit the inside of her lip, looking up at her. “Well. I think the first thing you need to do is . . . find a new place to live. Stay with family or rent somewhere until you can find something stable. Moving those kids back into that house is just going to keep those all those memories alive. And . . . And you need to get both of them in to see someone. Orion’s not going to not want to and he’s going to tell you he’s fine. But. The longer you wait, the more it is going to tear him up inside. If they . . . decide they want to get him on medication, let them. They know what they are doing.” 

       “Medication? I’m not turning my kid into a robot,” she said, shaking her head at her. 

       “It doesn’t do that,” Nicole assured. 

       “How would you know?” Eleanor asked angrily, tipping her head at her. 

       “Cause I’ve been on it for 10 years and I _don’t_ think I’m a robot,” she said before realizing what she was saying. She cleared her throat, sitting up straighter. The other woman’s demeanor shifted and she looked up at her apologetically. “Look . . . I’m not trying to tell you how to parent your kids. It’s your decision on how you want to do this. I just wanted you to hear from someone who cares about all of you.” 

       The woman let out a sigh. “Ok . . . I trust you . . . I already talked to my mom in Saskatchewan. I think . . . I think we are going to move in with her once Orion is released. And . . . I’ll find them a therapist there.” 

       “That's good, really good. But . . . I think you should probably talk to someone, too. Even if you don’t remember what happened last night, I’m sure that there are things that you _do_ remember.” 

       Eleanor’s eyes slowly filled with tears and she dropped her head to her hands. “Everyone told me to get away. _Everyone_. And I didn’t listen. And now it-it’s all my fault.” 

       Nicole quickly stood up from her chair, kneeling down in front of her with her hands on the mother’s knees. “It is _not_ your fault. Don’t do that to yourself, ok? That- That _guy_ was messed up. _He_ did this. There are some _horrible_ , _manipulative_ people in this world. And we always think they have the best intentions because that’s what they make us think. This is _not_ your fault _whatsoever_ , Eleanor, and you have to believe me when I tell you that. You’re just going to make a mess of yourself if you do. And right now. Those kids need you. They need their mom.” 

       Eleanor slowly lifted her head. The Deputy looked at her with hopeful eyes and she nodded her head, more tears falling down her cheeks. They both stood up and Nicole pulled her into a hug. “Thank you for saving my kids,” she sniffled. 

       “I was just doing my job,” the Officer mumbled. 

       The black-haired woman pulled back. “They told me . . . you were the one who shot William.” The redhead rubbed the back of her neck. “And that . . . Orion wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you giving him CPR.” Her eyes welled up with tears again. “I . . .I don’t know how I can repay you, Nicole.” 

       She shook her head. “Just get yourselves the help you need. That’s all I ask.” 

       Eleanor nodded, pulling her into another hug. They walked back towards the room and opened the door, finding Waverly laying on her stomach on the floor, watching Apollo dance the stuffed animal around in front of her. He looked up to see them walking back in the room, running back over to Nicole. She chuckled, picking him up again, holding a hand out to help the brunette up off the floor. The redhead walked around to the open side of his bed and laid down next to him, taking her batman snapback off and placing it on his head with a smile.

       “Really?!” He gasped. 

       “Uh-huh,” she confirmed, slowly running her hand up and down the little boy’s back, noticing he had closed his eyes with the blue monkey held close to his face. Waverly sat down next to Eleanor, beginning to chat her up about her kids.

       “Thanks, Coach!” He smiled brightly. 

       “Ya know . . . You’re a really brave kid, Orion.” He shrugged slightly. “I’m serious. I know what happened last night was . . . really, really scary for you. And you were really brave.” 

       “I guess,” he mumbled, messing with the IV in his hand. 

       “I don’t want you . . . to be afraid to talk about your feelings. And I don’t mean right now because I know it is all still really fresh. But you can’t keep all of that bottled up inside forever.”

       “I have to be strong, though. For them.” He looked down at his sleeping brother. 

       “They’d rather see you happy than pretending to be,” she pointed out. Orion pursed his lips. “Look, kid.” She swallowed. “I know what you’re going through . . . cause I was you at one point.” 

       He looked towards her confusedly. “What? . . .” 

       Nicole hugged her arms tighter around the little boy on her chest, looking forward. “When I was a freshman . . . my father found out where I lived and . . . attacked my mom and I. Kinda sorta what happened with you, but he had . . . a knife instead.” She hitched the sleeve up on her left arm so he could see the scar there.

       He looked up from it wide-eyed. “Why?” He asked quietly. 

       “Well. He found out that I was gay somehow . . . And didn’t agree with it.” 

       Orion leaned his head on her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

       She shook her head, patting his thigh. “No, don’t feel sorry for me. I told you that because I want you to know that you’re not alone. I was where you are. I felt like I had to be strong and that no one would understand my feelings. But it hurt me more to hold it in than it did to let it out. It took me _months_ to start talking about it . . . I want you to know that you can always talk to me about whatever you need to talk about. I’m going to give you and your mom my number before I leave that way y'all can text or call me whenever you need to.” 

       She heard him let out a happy sigh. “Thank you, Coach,” he yawned. 

       Nicole yawned hearing him yawn. “It’s no problem, Bud,” she assured. 

       Little did she know, in the next few minutes, instead of one, there would be _three_ people sleeping on that hospital bed. 

       Waverly and Eleanor had been so caught up in talking to each other that they hadn’t noticed they had fallen asleep. It wasn’t until 10 minutes later when the brunette happened to glance over that she saw the trio out like a light. “Well then,” she sighed.

       The mother looked over, a small smile forming on her lips. “That’s adorable,” she chuckled. Apollo was still asleep on Nicole’s chest while Orion’s head rested on her shoulder, the redhead’s leaning against his. 

       “Should we leave them?” Waverly questioned. 

       “I think they could all use some sleep, don’t you think?”

       The younger girl let out a raspberry. “Oh yea.”

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The only reason Nicole had been woken up was because a doctor came into the room and needed to check over Orion’s sutures about 2 hours later. The girls handed out goodbyes to the family, Apollo not letting Waverly put him down in protest of their departure. Once his mother finally removed him, they said one last goodbye and walked out of the hospital.

       The brunette let out a sigh as she started the car. “How are you feeling, Baby?” 

       “Better,” she confirmed, leaning her seat back a bit. 

       “Up to go get a new phone?” Nicole rolled her head to face her, giving her a small smile. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole actually did listen and took her three days off of work. But that was it. She returned the day after, no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. Waverly was not particularly happy about that. She believed she needed to take a longer break, but the redhead insisted it was only for the best. 

       Though, maybe it wasn’t. 

       Things in the Earp-Haught household were going a little rocky. The only time Nicole left the house was to go to work. Or to go to baseball practice. Or to go see Orion. And when she was home, she was laying in bed all day long. She didn’t work out. She didn’t go over to the Homestead. She sat. At home. In bed. Either watching TV or playing Xbox. 

       And that meant Waverly had to do everything around the house. She cooked. She cleaned. She did the dishes and laundry. All by herself. She was even the one that went with Wynonna to one of her prenatal appointments. She didn’t mind doing all of it. Ok, maybe she did mind a little bit. But that only because she had other things to do and it’d be nice to have a _little_ help. She got that Nicole was working through a hard time. But it still drove her crazy coming home from a long shift to find her sitting in the dark at 3 am with a bag of Cheetos in her lap and a controller in her hand, Call of Duty blasting throughout the house, meaning that she had to _wait_ to go to sleep until she was finished with her _one more game_.

       You’d think after the trauma she went through _with guns_ she would refrain from playing a game _with guns_ , but apparently not. 

       But it wasn’t only _all_ of that. 

       Waverly’d never see herself _complain_ about not having sex. 

       But she was. 

       It had been 2 weeks since the night of the shooting. And that meant it had been 2 weeks and 2 days since they had done it. They’d make out _sometimes_. But that was it. Nicole would push her away before they could get anywhere. And, frankly, she was tired of cold showers at this point.

       One night after coming home from a double shift, she snapped. She walked into the bedroom, finding the normal Nicole with her headset and controller surrounded by various food wrappers from throughout the day. Normally, she’d at least get a “Hey, Waves, how was work?” But not tonight. She walked past the TV to get to the closet, and apparently, her .5 second interruption got the redhead killed in her game. 

       “Waverly, what the hell?!” Nicole complained. 

       The brunette turned to look at her, confused about what she had done. “What?” She asked slowly. 

       “You made me fucking die,” she grumbled, turning her attention back to the TV.

       Waverly didn’t know why it made her so mad. But it just did. She slammed the shirt she was about to change into to the ground. “Well, _sor-ry_ , Nicole! I guess I’ll just go to the Homestead tonight so I don’t _bother_ _you_ anymore!” She snatched her purse from the end of the bed, stomping out of the room.

       The Officer pulled her headset off, quickly climbing off the bed. “No, Wave, c’mon, don’t leave. I’m sorry,” she called after her. 

       “Just fuck off, Nicole,” she snapped, slamming the door behind her. The redhead threw her hands up at the closed door, letting out a confused scoff. 

       The depression that her mind had engulfed her in left her oblivious to what she was doing to herself and her girlfriend. 

       Waverly slowed to a stop outside of the Homestead, hopping out of her Jeep and sulking up to the door, giving it a knock. Wynonna answered a few seconds later. “Hey, Babyg- Why did you just knock on _our_ door?” 

       A few tears finally spilled out of her eyes. “Ca- Can I stay here tonight,” she asked helplessly.

       Her sister furrowed her brows, letting her into the house. “What the hell happened, Wave?” She asked softly, placing her hands on her shoulders. 

       “Fucking Nicole!” She cried, pushing her hands through her hair. “I can’t do it anymore! All she does is sit in that damn bed all day. And I come in and _walk_ past the TV, _as one does_ to get to our closet. And she’s all, “ _What the hell, Waverly. You made me fucking die!_ ” Like, I’m sorry! I didn’t realize your _girlfriend_ was less important than a stupid video game!” She lowered her voice a bit. “An-And I _understand_. Orion almost _died_. She had to _shoot_ that _guy_. It reminded her of when-” She paused, knowing Wynonna didn’t know about what happened with her dad. “But it’s been 2 _weeks_. I’ve _offered_ to take her to talk to someone. I’ve _told her_ she can talk to me. I mean, she told Orion’s mom that she can’t put it all on herself, but that is exactly what she is fucking doing!” She dropped her head, looking down at the floor. “I just want my Nicole back. The Nicole who’d take me out on a date for no reason. The Nicole that’d stop by Shorty’s on her break to see me. The Nicole that’d make stupid jokes just to annoy the shit out of me . . . The Nicole that’d actually do the _fucking_ dishes.” 

       Wynonna stepped forward, pulling the sobbing girl into her arms, pushing her hand against the back of her head. “I’m so sorry, Wave,” she consoled.

       “What do I do, Wy?”

       Wynonna pulled out of the hug, draping an arm over her shoulder. “I don’t know . . . Let’s go to bed.” 

       The smaller girl nodded and they walked upstairs, Waverly curling up in Wynonna’s bed right next to her. 

       What Wynonna had told her was true. She didn’t know what _Waverly_ should do.

       But she sure as hell knew what she should.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The older Earp squatted down in front of their door, pulling the hairpin out of her pocket and picking the lock. She heard the click, so she stood up and pushed the door open, walking into the house. She walked straight back to the couple’s room, throwing the door open, finding the redhead sleeping facedown on the bed. She walked over and grabbed one of the pillows, smacking the back of her head with it. “Get up,” she ordered. 

       Nicole mumbled a complaint, grabbing the pillow under her head and holding it down over her head. It suddenly hit her that no one was supposed to be in the house. She lifted her head, squinting at the figure standing next to her, recognizing the black jeans and boots as Wynonna Earp. “What d’you want,” she groaned. 

       “Haught, get your ass up,” she snapped, smacking her with the pillow again. 

       Nicole huffed as she flipped over, rubbing her eyes. “How’d you get in here- Did you pick my lock? I swear to God, Earp, if you picked my lock.” 

       Wynonna wacked her once more with the pillow, hard this time. “Nicole! Get up!” 

       “Ow!” She complained, sitting up. “What the fuck is your deal?!”

       Wynonna grabbed her arm, yanking her to her feet. “Get dressed.” 

       “Why?”

       “Because I said so!” She gave her a shove towards her closet. 

       “I’m not going anywhere,” she scoffed, crossing her arms. “This is my one day off this week. I’m staying home.” 

       Wynonna flung the pillow at her. “All you fucking do anymore is sit here on your ass! What the hell do you mean _you’re staying home_.” 

       “Oh, come on, Wynonna. I do _not_. I’m at work half the time these days.” 

       “Where you are sitting on your ass 60% of the time. You do remember I work with you, right?!” 

       “Ok?! I have baseball _3_ times a week! I’m not _on my ass_ then, am I?!” 

       Wynonna shook her head with an angry laugh. “I want you to tell me the last time you _left_ this house that wasn’t for either of those things.” Nicole’s mouth opened immediately to answer. But then she thought about it. She honestly hadn’t left since her last visit with Orion before they moved in with his grandma last week. “Hmm?” 

       The redhead scratched the back of her neck. “I . . . I don’t know, Wynonna,” she sighed. 

       “Ok. Let’s try _this_. When was the last time you _actually_ did something to _help_ around the house?” Nicole furrowed her brows, opening her mouth to snap like she had with the last question. But then she thought about it again. And she really didn’t know the answer. The brunette took a step closer to her. “Yea. I didn’t think so. Here, I think I’ve got one you _can_ answer. Who is the one who _has_ been leaving the house for you and _has_ been doing the _cleaning_ and _cooking_ and the _everything_ that you’re not?” 

       She was quiet for a few seconds, chewing her cheek as she looked in the other direction. “Waverly,” she mumbled in a whisper. 

       “Yuh-huh. And you know why? Cause she loves the _shit_ out of you and is too afraid to hurt your feelings by telling you to _buck_ the fuck up. Because she knows that you’re going through a hard time. And I know that too, trust me. But I’m not afraid to hurt your feelings. Because I know you're a tough bitch with a hard-ass head. And I also know that you’re not going to _wake the fuck up_ and realize what you’re doing unless someone comes and shoves it down your throat. I am _worried_ about you, Nicole. We all are. Because _this_ isn’t like you. You are _throwing_ your life away. And I’m not going to sit here and watch you do that. So _please_. Get dressed. And if you can’t do this for yourself at _least_ do it for Waverly because in case you haven’t noticed, it is _really_  tearing her up her seeing you like this.” The redhead looked up at Wynonna slowly, eyes filled with sorrow and regret. She moved over to her closet and pulled a clean hoodie out to replace the one that she was wearing. “No,” Wynonna groaned. “I said _get dressed_.” 

       She flung her arms out in front of her. “What does it look like I’m doing?” 

       “Actually make it look like you _care_ about yourself. That’s what _get dressed_ means, Nicole!” She sighed with a nod, sorting through her closet, pulling out a grey t-shirt, some ripped black skinny jeans, and a jean jacket with patches all over it. “Thank you,” Wynonna sighed, plopping down onto the bed, taking a handful of Lucky Charms out of the box that was laying there. 

       “Are you going to _watch_ me change?” 

       “Of course I am, Haught Bod. I couldn’t pass up this golden opportunity.” Nicole rolled her eyes, changing out of her sweats, putting on the first _nice_ outfit she had worn in weeks. 

       After she got cleaned up, Wynonna got her in the truck and pulled away from the house. “Where are we going?” Nicole asked. 

       “You’ll see when we get there.” 

       Wynonna pulled up the bumpy driveway of the Homestead, looking over to see Nicole had her head leaning against the window. She parked, turning the truck off. “Seriously, Earp?” 

       “Yes. Let’s go.” She climbed out of the car and walked around, yanking her side open, dragging her out. “Go.” 

       “Wynonna, come on,” the Officer complained. The brunette gave her a shove and she threw her a look as she trudged towards the door. She stopped right outside it, looking up at Wynonna with worried eyes. 

       “ _Go_ ,” she said through her teeth, opening the door and giving her another shove. The redhead looked back at her with a scoff, but when she looked forward, she saw Waverly looking up at her from the kitchen table with tear stains on her face. She clenched her jaw, swallowing the lump that slid up her throat as she slowly walked over to her, sitting across from her. 

       The brunette swirled her spoon around in her cereal bowl, looking up at her. “Did she make you come here?” She asked, setting the spoon down and leaning back in the chair. 

       “Not really- kinda- maybe?” 

       Waverly did a long nod. “ _Shocker_ ,” she mumbled. 

       “Baby,” she sighed. “I’m sorry.” 

       Waverly stood up with a huff. “Fuck, Nicole, I don’t _care_ about what you said last night.” 

       “And that’s not the only thing I’m sorry about . . .” She stood from her chair, moving around to the other side of the table

       Waverly dropped her bowl in the sink, slowly turning around to face her, leaning back on the sink. “Huh?” 

       The redhead took a few more steps closer to her. “I’m sorry . . . that I didn’t realize how much of an ass I’ve been. And I’m sorry that I’ve ignored you when you were trying to help me. And I’m sorry that you’ve had to do everything lately because I’ve been a lazy bitch. And . . .” Her words started to get choked up as tears began to roll down her cheeks. “I’m sorry I’ve let all my bullshit get in the way of us because I wouldn’t let you in. And I’m sorry that I’m hurting you and I know that your heart is too big to tell me that, but we both know it’s true. An-And I’m just so sorry, Waverly. I never meant for this to happen cause you’ve told me over and over to talk about what’s going on with me and I promised in Vegas that I’d never do this to you again, b-but I did. So . . . So if-if you want to . . . break up, I'd understand.” She looked up to meet the brunette’s eyes. 

       Waverly’s mouth hung open as silent tears rolled out of her wide eyes. “Wh-Why would I want that?” She questioned breathlessly. 

       “Cause all I do is hurt you an-and I’m too broken to even realize it.” 

       “Do you want to break up?” Her heart stopped beating as she waited for Nicole’s answer. 

       “If . . . If it means you would be happy . . . cause all I want is for you to be happy. And if I’m preventing that-” She stopped talking when Waverly walked towards her, shaking her head. 

       She grabbed her trembling hands with her own that were shaking just as much. “Baby, you are and always will be my happy place, nothing can change that,” she assured. 

       Nicole let out a breath, eyes closing as she wrapped her arms around the brunette, relieved sobs pouring out of her mouth. They both quickly collapsed to a sobbing mess onto the floor, wrapped in each other’s arms, all the hurt and guilt from everything that had happened recently slowly disappearing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sobbed writing that last part 
> 
> Hoped you enjoyed her


	51. Chill Your Dick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Girl's Night gets a reschedule.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for all your support over the last few chapters, I know they haven't been the happiest. 
> 
> I promise, life for WayHaught soon starts to look brighter. 
> 
> Just a note, there is some slightly mean/crude humor in this chapter. I don't mean to make anyone upset in any way. Just gonna throw that out there.

       After the couple worked everything out, their lives quickly returned back to normal. They fully communicated now, no more bullshit where they said they were and didn’t. Nicole talked through her feelings, deciding that Waverly was the only therapy she needed. And if Waverly was bothered by something, she actually told her about it. Their relationship grew to the healthiest point it ever had been and they were happier than ever.

       But if Nicole was being completely honest, there was _one_ thing that had been sliding around in the back of her head every so often that she _didn’t_ talk about with her. 

       A few days after they cleared everything up, she popped by Shorty’s after her shift to grab a drink and hang with Waverly until she got off. She walked in the front doors, not surprised to find it almost empty on a Tuesday night. She was _also_ not surprised to find Rosita standing unreasonably close as she talked with her girlfriend behind the bar. She walked up behind them, clearing her throat. Waverly turned quickly, eyes lighting up at the sight of her. “Baby! Just in time! I need to talk to you!” She leaned across the bar and gave her a kiss. Rosita shot the redhead a snarky grin. 

       Nicole took a seat on the stool, propping her arms up. “Yea, what’s up?” 

       “So, since I had to cancel our Girl’s Night from when we had it planned last time because . . . yea. We texted about it and decided to reschedule for tomorrow night . . . if that’s cool with you?” 

       She shrugged, sipping on the beer the brunette had set in front of her as she had been talking. “Fine with me. I get off at 8 so I’ll be home to bother all of you,” she smirked. 

       “Ooh, great!” Rosita exclaimed. “That means you can run for the store for us when we run out of booze!” The two bartenders laughed, Waverly lightly smacking her arm. 

       “Yea, the mixture of _Girl’s Night_ and _booze_ sounds like I’ll probably need to be more hammered than _all_ of you, so looks like ya’ll are gonna have to make due,” she said with a pouty lip. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole stepped out of her cruiser, walking up to the house, already hearing the loud screeching of 4 slightly tipsy women. She pushed the door open, slowly walking inside to see the girls laying on the floor watching some scary movie with takeout boxes scattered in front of them. Waverly pushed herself off the floor, dashing over and jumping into her arms. Nicole slid her hands under her butt and held her up as the brunette met her lips. She pulled back after a few seconds with a smile. “How was work?” Waverly asked, a slight slur creeping through her voice. 

       “Good. You?” 

       “There was a biker brawl, so I got _some_ entertainment,” she smirked. 

       The redhead walked them over and sat her on the back of the couch in front of her. “Sounds . . . fun,” she said with wide eyes and a nod. “Why weren’t we called?” 

       “Shorty pulled out his shotgun and scared ‘em off,” she shrugged. 

       “Ah,” she exhaled, leaning in for another kiss. “Hey, be careful with that vodka, ok? I know you drink that shit like water.” She could taste the blueberry vodka on her lips when she kissed her coming in the door and could now see the bottle sitting on the floor next to where she was laying. 

       “I know, I will,” she promised.

       Nicole stepped back, letting her hop down. “Mk, thank you, Love.” She looked up to the other girls. “Ya’ll need anything?”

       Chrissy and Jessie shook their heads. “Get me another beer,” Rosita ordered. 

       The redhead ran her tongue along the inside of her bottom lip. “Get your own damn beer,” she huffed. Waverly looked towards her, wide-eyed. 

       “Did you _not_ just ask if we needed anything?” The black-haired girl asked, raising her eyebrows. 

       “I wasn’t asking you.” 

       Rosita stood up with a scoff, heading to the kitchen herself. Waverly smacked Nicole’s arm with the back of her hand. “What’s your problem?” 

       She shrugged, sticking her thumbs in her belt. She wandered into the kitchen with a scowl on her face, standing in between the island and the fridge, blocking the girl from walking forward. “Move,” Rosita snapped after she grabbed a beer. 

       “Stop flirting with my girl and maybe I will,” she countered, tilting her head. 

       “Oh please,” she laughed. “You think she doesn’t flirt back?” 

       The Officer closed the distance between them, leaving their faces inches apart. “I don’t think. I know. You two can be friends, I don’t care. But let me see you try something, and I swear to God, I will knock the fuck out of you,” she growled. 

       Rosita chuckled with a smirk, reaching up and tugging the zipper of Nicole’s uniform down. “You’re cute when you're jealous.” 

       The redhead scoffed, shoving her back and zipping it up. “Touch me again ‘n see what happens.” 

       “Yea?” She slid her hand down her arm. “What’s gonna happen?” 

       Nicole balled her fist at her side, ready to knock her flat. But then she thought about how Waverly would feel about that. She wasn’t about to ruin her Girl’s Night just because she was jealous of this asshole who was obviously doing it just to get her riled up. She unclenched her fist, taking a breath to calm herself down. She swung open the fridge door and pulled a water out, walking away, bumping Rosita’s shoulder as she went. Waverly watched her with narrowed eyes as she disappeared down the hallway. 

       As Nicole changed out of her uniform, she contemplated staying out there for the night _just_ to make sure Rosita didn’t step over the line. 

 _No_. 

       Waverly would tell her if Rosita tried something. And she wouldn’t let it happen either. She let out a breath as she pulled on some workout clothes before walking back out of the room to head upstairs. She knew some late night exercise would calm her down a little. 

       And _maybe_ she had picked a sports bra that showed a _little_ more cleavage than normal. And _maybe_ she had picked a pair of shorts that were a _little_ tight in _all_ the right places. 

       But she was gonna be _that bitch_. 

       “I’ll be upstairs if you need me, Babe,” she informed, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. 

       Waverly turned to look at her, not having heard her walk back out. “Uh-huh,” she breathed as her eyes traced over her body, mouth drying. Nicole smirked at her, seeing Rosita’s pissed face from the corner of her eye. She walked upstairs with a pep in her step, plugging her earbuds into her ears. 

       “I’d tap that,” Chrissy mumbled from beside Waverly. 

       “Pssh, I _do_ tap that . . . ‘n let me tell ya . . .” She held up an ok sign with her fingers with a pleased smirk on her face. The blonde snorted, Jessie even laughing. 

       But she couldn’t help but notice how Rosita rolled her eyes at them. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Dude, didn’t you run Black Ops missions or some shit?” Nicole scoffed, shaking her head at the TV. An hour or so after she got done working out, Dolls wanted to play some Call of Duty, so she jumped on the Xbox. She hadn’t _completely_ given up video games. She just played less, just about as much as she did _before_ her depression episode, in which she had learned that Dolls _also_ had a thing for video games. 

       “Yea, what’s it to ya?” 

       “Cause you are literally eatin’ my shit right now and Ima cop in _Bumbfuck_ , Canada.” Dolls peaked out from the top window of a house and made an attempt to snipe her as she moved to change positions, but missed. “Pfft, I’m pretty sure Michael J Fox on a _rollercoaster_ could aim better than you.”

       “Asshole,” he muttered under his breath as her laughter filled his headset. 

       “Oui! How my shit taste, Dollsy?” She asked after killing him again. 

       “Shut up, Haught.” 

       “Oh, c’mon. I ain’t hurtin’ you,” she justified. 

       “You sound _really_ southern when you’re drunk,” the Marshal sighed. 

       “Probably cause _I’m_ _southern_. Also, I’ve had _two_ beers tonight, chill your dick.” 

       “Oh, I know you are, trust me. If your redneck ass was any more inbred, you’d be a fuckin’ sandwich.” 

       Nicole’s mouth fell open in offense, yet amused laughter filed out. “Now that was rude, Xavier,” she snorted. “Us _Texans_ do not participate in that, for it is a _sin_. And you're a lizard baby, anyway, that’s some beastiality type shit right there.” 

       “Yet _you_ are still the one they call Fire Crotch, _how_ _depressing_ ,” he sighed dramatically. 

       She shook her head with a smile, taking a pull of her beer. “Hey, lemme ask you, does smoke come out your ass when you fart? Cause if so, I’ll give you a few cans of chili and you can come and be the fog machine at our Halloween party.” 

       Dolls cackled, “You realize how disgusting that sounds, right?” 

       “You didn’t answer my question,” she huffed. 

       “No! Smoke doesn’t come out of my ass! Jesus!” 

       Nicole pouted, “That’s sad. You should work on that. It could be your new party trick or somethin’.” 

       “Remind me to never go to a party with you . . . Gotcha, Pussy!” He exclaimed after sneaking up behind her, shooting her before she could react. 

       “Ya know what they say,” she sighed. “You are what you eat.” 

       Dolls groaned. “I just got some horrible images in my head, thank you.” 

       “Think about my girlfriend like that again and I’ll rip your dick off.” 

       “You made me,” he complained quietly. 

       “ _I_ did n-” She paused, hearing a knock on the door. She slid one side of the headset off of her ear. “Hold on.” She muted her mic. “Yea?” The door opened and Jessie walked in, plopping down onto the bed next to her. “What’s up?” 

       “I think I know why you hate Rosita now,” she sighed into the pillow. By the sound of her voice, she could tell that she wasn’t drunk, probably only a little more than the tiny buzz Nicole had. 

       “Uh . . . Why?” 

       She flipped over quickly. “All she does is flirt with Waverly, it’s so fucking annoying.” 

       The Officer let out a single laugh. “Tell me about it,” she grumbled. 

       “Anyway. I came in here to tell you that you might wanna _just happen to wander out there_ cause Chrissy and Wave finished that bottle by themselves so Chrissy’s out cold. And Rosita’s only been drinking beers and a little whiskey every now and then. She’s starting to take that to her advantage and test her waters a little.” 

       Nicole clenched her jaw, flicking her headset back on. “Hey, Dolls, I gotta go, sorry.”

       “It’s cool. See you tomorrow, Fire Crotch.” 

       “Yea, Fart Flame, see you tomorrow.” She heard him begin to cuss her out as she turned off the Xbox. She turned back to Jessie, removing the headset completely. “What is she doing?” She asked, anger bubbling up in her voice now. 

       “She’s just being all touchy, _more_ than usual. And they are sitting up on the couch while I’m on the floor, so Rosita thinks I can’t _see_ or _hear_ her for some reason.” 

       Nicole let out a low growl, chugging down the last of her third beer. “Well, it _just so happens_ that I need another drink,” she sighed, standing up off the bed and grabbing all her empties. “Thanks, Jess, I appreciate it.”

       “No problem. I know Waverly would never do anything no matter _how_ drunk she was, but that’s not going to stop Rosita from trying to.” 

       “Yea, I know,” she said quietly as they exited the room together, walking at a snail’s speed. “Bitch’s been pulling this shit for months now.” 

       “ _Months_? Nicole, how come you haven’t talked to Waves about it?” 

       “Because . . . I don’t want to ruin their friendship.” 

       “Trust me, their friendship _needs_ to be ruined before Waverly gets hurt.” 

       Nicole let out a sigh, knowing that it was true. They got to the end of the hallway and she looked over towards the couch to find Rosita basically sitting on top of Waverly with her hand resting on her upper thigh, other pushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she leaned in for a kiss. 

       But the brunette’s eyes were wide and her face was full of discomfort. She had her hand pressed stiffly against her shoulder to keep her from doing what she was about to do.

       Nicole dropped her bottles in the trash can, the sound of the glass clinking together alerting them of their presence. Rosita’s head snapped around, eyes going wide at the sight of the redhead. She jumped up from the couch, putting her hands up as Nicole’s bone-chilling glare transfixed on her face. “Nicole, I-I wasn’t gonna, I swear.” 

       “Oh, I think you were,” she responded gravelly, slowly starting to move closer to the woman. 

       Rosita began to back up. “No, I wa-wasn’t. I wasn’t, Nicole.”

       The redhead shook her head at her pathetic argument. “What were you doing then, huh?”

       “I-I-I’m sorry. I’m sor-”

       “ _What_ did I tell you I was going to do?” She asked, forcing it in the beginning, but bringing it back down to it's completely low and even state. She reached the end of the couch that Waverly was on and snapped her fingers behind her back, pointing to her to signal to Jessie to make sure she was ok. 

       “I’m sorry,” the black-haired girl whispered, fear written all over her face. 

       “What’d I say was going to do if I saw you try something with her, Rosita?” She asked again, her voice beginning to lose its flatness, more anger seeping through the seams. 

       “No, Haught, please. I promise, I won’t fuck with her anymore.”

       “That didn’t answer my question.” 

       “I don’t know what I was thi-” She let out a gasp, feeling her back hit the wall behind her.

       Nicole closed in on her, placing her hands on either side of the wall around her, preventing her from moving. “ _I_ know what you were thinking,” she seethed. “You were thinking that since Jessie left and Chrissy was passed out, you could finally make a move on her. _And_ you know she’s drunk, so if there was the chance that she rejected you, _which_ you _should_ have known was inevitable, she _probably_ wouldn’t have remembered it the next day, anyway. The only problem is . . . _You got caught_. . . Does that sound about right, Bustillos?” Rosita swallowed guiltily, looking anywhere but her face. “I thought I made myself clear earlier, did I not?” 

       “You did. You did, Nicole.” 

       “Then _why_ did you just try and kiss my girlfriend?” She smacked the palm of her hand against the wall, Rosita almost jumping out of her skin. 

       “I don’t know! I’m sorry! Just _don’t_ . . . don’t knock the fuck out of me,” she squeaked. 

       “Ooh,” she laughed. “You do remember, huh?” She leaned in closer to her face, lowering her voice to a growl. “You better be glad that I don’t feel like wiping blood off of my walls tonight. But if you make her uncomfortable in _any_ way _ever_ again, you better watch your fucking back.” She pushed herself back, dropping her arms to her sides. “Get out.” 

       Rosita sprung away from the wall, grabbed her shit, and slid out the front door, slamming it behind her. Nicole let out a heavy breath, staring at the door for a few seconds. She cooled herself down before looking over to the brunette. 

       She stood up, clutching her hands to her front as tears welled up in her eyes. “Nic, I promise, I wasn’t gonna-” 

       The Officer quickly shook her head, moving forward and pulling her into a hug. “Shh, I know you weren’t, it’s ok.” 

       Waverly let out a relieved breath, resting her forehead against her collarbone. She pulled back after a few more seconds and Nicole wiped her fingers under her eyes before sitting them down next to Jessie. “Why'd she do that?” She cried, holding the other brunette’s hand in her lap.

       Jessie looked towards Nicole, tipping her head knowingly. She pursed her lips, turning her body and pulling her legs up on the couch to face her. “Look, Wave . . . She’s liked you since you started working at Shorty’s again,” she admitted. 

       Her brows furrowed. “What?” She asked confusedly. “How d’you know?- Wait, is that why you don’t like ‘er . . . and why she don’t like you?”

       “I mean, yea,” she said with a small laugh. “I know you’ve never realized it, but she hits on you _all_ the time.” 

       “She’s never done that besides t’night.” 

       Jessie tutted. “You’re telling me she _isn’t always_ right on top of you at work, giving you unnecessary compliments, and going out of her way to do nice things for you?”

       Waverly’s mouth came open to say something, but the gears turned in her head as she began to think of all of her words in actions in a totally different light. “Oh my God,” she breathed. She pushed her hands into her hair. “Why didn’t you tell me, Nic?! I feel like an _idiot_!” 

       “Stop it, you’re not an idiot,” Nicole asserted. “And . . . It’s not my place to tell you who you can and cannot be friends with, even if they are staring at your ass all day long.”

       “She stares at my ass?!” 

       “ _All the time_ ,” Jessie and Nicole chorused annoyedly. 

       Waverly groaned, falling sideways and burying her face in Nicole’s lap. “I’m so stupid,” she muttered. 

       Nicole shook her head, rubbing her hand up and down her back. “Quit.” 

       Waverly rolled over, looking up at her. “No, I am. I had a small suspicion tha’ she liked me but I ignored it cause I found out she was sleepin’ with Doc and that apparently made 'er _straight_ in my head.” 

       Both girls’ eyes widened. “Sorry, _what_?” Nicole asked. 

       “Yea, thassa thing, apparently,” she sighed, covering her forehead with her arm. 

       “Ooh boy,” the redhead muttered. A yawn crept up on her. “Ok, I’m going to bed. I have to be at work at 7 tomorrow morning.” 

       “Blech,” Waverly slurred at the thought of waking up early. The clock was already ticking past 2 am. She sat up from Nicole’s lap and the Deputy pushed herself up off the couch. 

       “I probably won’t see you in the morning,” she frowned. “I’m sorry, Love.” The brunette stuck her hands in the air, flapping her fingers at her with a pouted lip. Nicole let out a sigh, bending forward and lifting the smaller girl up off the couch, hugging her arms around her torso as she locked her ankles tightly behind her back. 

       “I love you,” she mumbled. 

       “I love you, too,” she said with an empathetic chuckle. 

       The brunette’s eyes filled with tears as she stared down into her soft, whiskey-colored eyes. “Ima miss you,” she sniffled, her bottom lip protruding again. 

       “Baby, you can come and see me at the station after you wake up, you know that,” she reminded gently. 

       “But Ima miss you.” She curled her arms around her neck, burying her face into her shoulder. 

       In Nicole’s opinion, clingy drunk Waverly was the cutest thing. She swayed them back in forth in an attempt to calm her down, which seemed to work after a minute. She loosened the grip around her neck, lifting her head. “I love you,” Nicole repeated in a whisper, giving her a sweet smile. Waverly gently met her lips, mumbling her response against them. She dropped her legs and Nicole set her down, giving her one last kiss. “Make sure to get some sleep, ok?” 

       “We will,” Waverly nodded. 

       “Mk, goodnight. Call me if you need anything tomorrow.” 

       She nodded again, letting go of her hand as she walked off to their room. Nicole threw her a smile over her shoulder before she disappeared down the hallway. 

       “Now what do you want to do?” Jessie asked, propping her chin up on her knee. 

       Waverly sat back down next to her. “I think _you_ need to talk to me bout your wedding plans,” she smirked. A wide smile formed on the other brunette’s face as she quickly clapped her hands together, turning towards her. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Days ticked past Nicole’s father’s anniversary. It had been easier than expected for both of them. The hardest part had been the nightmares that usually crept around a few days before it. Waking up to the sound of her girlfriend screaming in her sleep right next to her was not pleasant. And trying to wake her up proved to be even less. 

       But they got past it. Together.

 

       Waverly had the first of September off so she decided to do some much-needed grocery shopping. She rolled her cart out of the store, heading towards the Jeep. She was just about done shoving all of the bags in the trunk when she happened to look up, seeing a head of fiery red hair sprinting down the sidewalk after a man with a 20-foot lead on her and a purse in his clutch. Her eyes widened, mouth dropping open. She always had the same reaction watching Nicole do her police stuff. She looked from the sidewalk down to her cart, an idea popping into her head. 

       This was the only time that she was _glad_ the only parking spot available in the small store’s lot was the one _right_ next to the exit. She spun her cart around and pushed it quickly towards the sidewalk, shielding herself behind some shrubbery that decorated the outskirts of the store. 

       Just as the man was about to pass, she shoved it forward. “ _Shit_!” He cursed as he rammed right into the cart, tumbling over it and smacking his face into the ground as his legs stuck in the air, propped up by the cart. Waverly peeked her head out from behind the bush, looking at Nicole’s rather confused face as she skidded to a stop in order to not trip over it herself. The Officer moved the cart out of the way, pouncing on the guy’s back as he tried to get up. She yanked her cuffs out of the pouch, locking his hands behind his back and hauling him to his feet. 

       “Hi, yes, you’re welcome, _Officer_ ,” she smirked with her arms crossed.

       Nicole looked over, not noticing until then that she was standing there. She let out a laugh. “Thanks, Baby,” she said, still breathing heavy. “I owe you.” 

       “Mm, bring home some takeout after you get off and we’ll call it even.” 

       “That I can do,” she smiled. The man had been wiggling around in her grip the whole time. She jerked his arms down. “Knock it off.” He let out a grunt in response but stopped resisting. She looked back up at the smaller girl. “I’ll see you later. I need to get the lady’s purse back to her.” Another deputy rolled his cruiser up beside them and she shoved the man in the back. 

       “Alright, see you later. Be careful.” 

       “I will, Love,” she assured, stepping forward and giving her a quick kiss, smiling sweetly as she walked away in the direction she had come from. 

       Now that it was September, there was only one thought rolling around in Nicole’s head. 

       Waverly’s. Birthday. 

       It was only 7 days away.

       And moments like this reminded her that she had to make it the best birthday her girlfriend ever had. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I n t e r e s t i n g
> 
> I promise you, we are done with mean drama for a little while. I'm done torturing you.
> 
>  
> 
> Ok ya'll. I was writing at like 4 AM this morning and I thought of something (spoiler alert?)  
> So when Willa was in her weird cult place with Lou, her name was Eve, right?  
> And now Waverly and Doc are trapped in the Garden of Eden.  
> Aka, where Adam and Eve were.  
> Is it just a coincidence that she was named Eve? Or is a sister on to something here maybe?  
> Or was it mentioned why that was her name there and I just missed it? 
> 
> Idk, ya'll, we know Emily doesn't do things just for nothingggggg
> 
> Lmao, I'm probably onto absolutely nothing, don't listen to me.


	52. Waverly’s Birthday Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly wakes up on her birthday to the first of many surprises in store for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my nasties out there finna like dis one

       “WYNONNA, WHAT IF SHE HATES IT?!?” Nicole exclaimed, throwing her arms out in front of her as she paced back and forth across the Homestead’s living room. 

       “Would you chill your asshole?! She’s not gonna hate it!” The brunette yelled back. This argument had been going on for about 5 minutes.

       “YOU DON’T KNOW THAT!” 

       “Yes, I do!” 

       “SHE IS GOING TO HATE IT!” 

       Wynonna shot up from the couch and grabbed her arm, turning her and smacking her across the face to snap her out of it. “SHE’S NOT GOING TO HATE IT, NOW WILL YOU STOP? YOU’RE MAKING ME NAUSEOUS!” 

       The redhead let out a breath. “Sorry. I’m just . . .”

       “Annoying,” Wynonna mused. 

       Nicole shot her a look and they both sat down on the couch. “I want to make this special, Wy. She deserves that after the hellish year she’s had. And . . .” She dropped her voice a little. “Not to mention the ones she missed.” 

       Wynonna’s lip twinged a little at that, though she knew it was true. “She’s going to love it, Haught. I promise,” she assured, giving her shoulder a squeeze and looking down at Nicole’s hands, more specifically, the gift she was holding in them. “Ya know . . . _My_ birthday’s in 5 days . . .”

       “Shut up, Wynonna.”

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly had just finished up her shift at Shorty’s and was heading home to go to bed. The clock on the radio read 12:04. “Happy birthday to me,” she muttered, putting the car in reverse and backing out of her parking space. 

       Over the past week, not _one_ person had mentioned her birthday to her. Not even Nicole, which she was somewhat shocked about. Not that she wasn’t used to people forgetting, it’s just that she expected _Nicole_ , of all people, not to. 

       She stepped out of the car once she parked it behind Nicole’s cruiser and climbed out, quietly opening the door of the house in hopes to not wake the redhead. She set her purse down on the counter, giving Calamity a good pet before tip-toeing off to the bathroom. She wiped the makeup from her face and undid her hair from its braid, brushing it out a bit before she made her way into the bedroom, peeling the crop top off her body, sliding her jeans down soon after. She was too tired to find something to sleep in, so she gently crawled into bed next to the sleeping Deputy.

       Well, mostly-asleep Deputy. 

       Nicole wrapped her arm around her back, pulling her closer as she was already moving that way to take in some of her warmth. She ran her stubby nails across her bare back a few times, pushing a kiss into her head. 

       “I lu’you, Cole,” the brunette mumbled, the movement against her back quickly coaxing her to sleep. Nicole grunted slightly against the top of her head, the best answer she could manage in her half-wake. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly woke up, feeling Nicole’s chest rising against her chin. She kept her eyes closed as she relished in the taller girl’s warmth, the September morning having put a chill in the room. 

       When she finally did open her eyes, body not letting her sleep anymore, she was shocked to find the redhead smiling down at her.

       “Morning?” She mumbled slowly, confused of what was wrong with her. 

       Nicole slid her hand up to her cheek. “Happy birthday, Wave,” she whispered softly. 

       Waverly’s heart swelled, face awing. “You remembered.”

       “How could I forget?” She smiled, leaning in for a kiss. Waverly giggled as Nicole rolled her to her back. She hugged her arms around her middle as the redhead leaned down to meet her lips. 

       “Everyone forgets.” 

       “Well, I’m not everyone,” she whispered, tangling one of her hands in her hair. 

       “Shh, just kiss me,” the younger girl ordered, forcing her mouth onto the Officer’s. 

       “Yes, Ma’am,” she drawled. Waverly let out a throaty groan, feeling a hand clamp around her breast as her tongue pushed into her mouth. 

       Nicole slowly kissed down Waverly’s neck and she tugged her bra off, dropping her hand to her revealed chest, pinching her fingers around a slightly perked bud. The smaller girl brought her hands down to the hem of the tank top Nicole had on and tugged it off of her, tossing it away. She was happy to see that the redhead had decided to sleep braless that night. 

       With a smirk, she grabbed Nicole by the back of the neck and brought her head back up to her lips, squeezing her thighs around her hips as she flipped them over, straddling her lap.

       She let out a gasp, eyes widening. She looked down at the redhead in shock, who had a cocky grin plastered across her face. After Waverly’s heart rhythmed out, a smile dusted her features as she slid down her body, ripping her basketball shorts down to reveal the bulge that had previously pressed against her centre. She pulled her briefs off, a familiar blue dildo bobbing side to side in its wake. 

       “Is this the same kind?” She asked, spitting onto the tip and rubbing it up and down the shaft with her hand. 

       The redhead shivered, her hand balling up some of the blankets. “We liked the other one so much, I thought we mise well have one for here, too . . . And you can’t have a birthday without some _real_ good birthday sex.” 

       Waverly’s eyes darkened. “Did you really sleep in a strap-on just so we could have _real good birthday sex_.” 

       Nicole nodded sharply. “Yes. I did.” 

       The brunette shook her head with a small laugh. “Was it worth it?” 

       The Officer sat up, pulling the brunette closer to her face. “ _Let’s find out_.” 

       Waverly grinned and pushed her back, hungrily meeting her lips, swallowing a moan the redhead let out. Nicole slid her hand to her ass, giving it a bruising smack, digging her fingers into the tender flesh. Their tongues danced mindlessly, hands sliding up and down each other’s bodies, grabbing at every inch of skin they could get a hold of. 

       Nicole flipped them over and pulled away from her mouth, sucking in a breath of air before tipping her head sideways, sinking her teeth into her neck. Waverly let out a strangulated moan, digging her nails into her shoulders. “ _God, Nic_.” The redhead chuckled, leaving a slow trail of hickeys down her neck, across her collarbone, and down the valley of her breast. Waverly let out some breathy sighs, pushing her hand into her hair. Nicole continued down her stomach and through the middle of her abs, feeling the muscles quiver under her lips. She stopped at the elastic, looking up at her with a smile. Waverly pushed herself up on her elbows, looking down at herself. “Well, I _was_ going to wear the new crop top hoodie I bought for myself today, but I guess that’s out of the picture,” she laughed, watching the red-purple marks slowly darken all the way down her torso. 

       “Well, I didn’t see you stopping me,” Nicole smirked, sticking her fingers under the hem of her underwear, looking up at her with questioning eyes. 

       “I never said I was mad about it,” she winked. Nicole licked her lips, slowly sliding the garment down her legs. 

       “Damn, Baby,” she breathed, seeing how she was already dripping onto the sheet beneath her. She slowly slid a few fingers up her slit, nipping along the inside of her thigh. 

       “It’s your fault, not mine.” 

       The Officer pushed herself up on the bed, meeting their lips as she slipped a finger through, rolling around the bud. “There anything I can do to help, Darlin’?” Nicole drawled, casting her hot breath onto her ear. 

       Waverly brought her hand up to her cheek, tipping her head to meet her eyes. “ _You can let me ride your cock_ ,” she husked deeply. Nicole’s eyes went wide. Her mouth fell open, a small whimper tumbling out as the words sent a fire rippling down to her core. Her finger seized its movements within her folds. Waverly smirked, proud of how she broke the redhead. “Is that ok with you, Babe?” She asked, her voice soaked in seduction as she tapped her fingers on her jaw bone. 

       Nicole still couldn’t manage a verbal answer, so she scrambled off of the brunette and flipped to her back, propping herself halfway-sitting-up with their pillows. Waverly slowly crawled toward her on her knees. She swung her leg over the redhead’s hips and sat behind the toy. Locking eyes with the Officer, she slipped her hand in between her thighs and pushed two fingers into herself with a breathy sigh. She slowly removed them, sliding them up the full length of her slit before wrapping her hand around the shaft and smearing her wetness onto it. 

       If Nicole wasn’t broken before, she sure was now. 

       She gulped as Waverly gripped her shoulder with one hand, the other holding the toy straight as she positioned her entrance over it. Nicole wrapped her fingers around each hip to steady her a little more. She slowly slid down onto the tip, a shudder traveling up her spine.

       The redhead felt the change of pressure, and her hips twitched slightly, nudging it against her front wall. Waverly met her eyes with a whimper and she gave her an apologetic smile, grabbing the base of the dildo herself. The brunette placed her other hand on her opposite shoulder and slowly slid down the shaft. Nicole moved her hand out and placed it back on her hip as she took in its full length. “ _Shit_ ,” Waverly breathed, eyes scrunching together. 

       “Good shit or bad shit?” Nicole asked quickly, sliding her hand under her thigh just in case. 

       The smaller girl opened her eyes, looking down at her. “No, good shit . . . _Very_ good shit,” she chuckled. 

       “Ok, good.” 

       The younger girl leaned down and cupped her face, kissing her as she rolled her hips in slow circles. She picked up her rhythm as she felt the redhead slowly coaxing her forward, hands pressing up on her ass. She sat back, pressing her palms into the fronts of her shoulders for balance as she switched from fast rocking to slow bouncing. Nicole’s eyes rolled back at the increased pressure the base was pushing into her centre. She let out a low groan, pushing her fingers deeper into the fleshy part of her hips. 

       “Mmph, Baby,” Waverly moaned, sliding up and down with ease developed from many rounds in this position, a _certain_ _someone_ having a keen liking for it. Then again, she had a very keen liking for it, as well. She could feel warmth pulsing through her core, so she leaned forward, her swollen nub rubbing against the redhead’s toned abs. “ _Nicole_ ,” she whispered as the Officer sucked a perky mound of flesh into her mouth. 

       Waverly could feel the tenseness in Nicole’s shoulders grow as she picked up speed. It was obvious that she was desperate to start thrusting up into her, but was resisting so Waverly could her have dominance in this position. She slowed down a little bit, pushing her hand into her red tangles. “Relax, Love. Take what you want.” Nicole looked up at her, biting her lip with an unsure brow. She tipped her head back by her hair. “I want you to fuck me, Nicole,” she husked deeply, digging her nails into her scalp.

       The taller girl was stunned for a few seconds, chest rising quickly. A wolfish grin slowly slid onto her face. She wrapped her fingers around her arms, pulling her forward as she bent her own knees outward. Waverly let out a gasp. She pressed her hands into the pillow on either side of her girlfriend’s head. Nicole gripped onto her mid-waist and pushed her slowly down onto the blue object, easing her back up just as slow. She repeated it a few times. “You like that, Birthday Girl?” She asked in the rough voice she had only heard her use the last time they used a strap in Vegas. And, oh, how she had forgotten what it did to her. 

       “Yes, Nic,” she whined.

       Nicole started forcing her into her hips faster with more force. “Huh?” She asked, pushing her hips up to meet the rhythm she was setting with her hands. “Does that feel good?” 

       “Fucking amazing,” she uttered. 

       Nicole tsked, holding her steady with her hands as she began to snap into her, a grunt escaping her lips. Waverly looked down at her with wide eyes, mouth hanging open, high-pitched whimpers and moans falling out. “ _I_. Won’t believe you. _Until you’re screaming_.” She pushed her thumbs into the smaller girl’s stomach, making her arch her back slightly, giving her better access to her g-spot. 

       “ _Oh fuck_!” The brunette moaned. Nicole smacked her hand down onto her ass. Hard. Waverly bit down onto her lip, only letting out a whimper. 

       She yanked it out from her teeth. “ _I want to hear you_ ,” she growled, smacking her ass again with more force. Waverly let out a loud moan that tightened the redhead’s abdomen. She wrapped her arms around her back, gripping her waist with the hand for the opposite side as she snapped her hips at full force, feeling a zap of pleasurable pain with every smack. “ _Unngh_ , _I’m gonna come._ ”

       Waverly’s arms buckled, looping around Nicole’s neck as her core clenched around her member. Her ear-ringing cries filled the room as the Officer pounded into her through her orgasm. 

       Though Waverly’s orgasm ended right as Nicole’s started. 

       She twitched through the aftershocks as the Officer kept splitting her open, grunting and groaning in her ear. Waverly’s nails ripped into her back as the air got caught in her lungs, another surge of arousal spilling out of her. 

       The redhead held on tightly to the smaller girl. “I’ve got you, Waves,” she whispered, feeling her body shake as cum dripped down onto her abdomen. She slowly stopped rocking her hips when she felt her girlfriend’s muscles relax, pulling the toy out of her. Waverly dropped down onto her with her full weight, nails still embedded deep in her shoulder blades. Nicole hugged her tighter, running her fingers up and down her spine. “You ok, Love? Did I hurt you?” She asked worriedly. 

       “No . . .” She rasped. “Two . . . Had two.” 

       Nicole’s eyes widened, a proud smirk tugging at her lips as she loosened the hug. “Well, then.” 

       Waverly let go of her back, rolling herself off of the redhead. Nicole propped herself up more, looking down at her cum-covered abs. She felt around on the bed for Waverly’s hand, picking it up and smacking it down onto her stomach. A shudder shook the smaller girl, feeling her moving her hand across her toned muscles. The Officer lifted it to her mouth, tracing her tongue from the base of her palm to the tip of her fingertips. “ _Nicole_ ,” she breathed, watching her take three fingers in her mouth, releasing them with a pop. She looked at Waverly’s darkened eyes with a grin. Pushing herself to her knees, she rolled onto the smaller girl, rolling them again so she was on her back. “Ninja,” Waverly giggled, pressing her finger into her nose. She dropped her head, nipping at her chin. “ _Sexy ninja_ ,” she purred, attaching her teeth to her collarbone, Nicole letting loose a real-ass-pornstar-moan. The smaller girl lifted her eyes as she sucked on the spot, the redhead’s face flushed and more shocked than she was. Waverly detached her mouth, sliding her hand through her hair. “That good, huh?” She scraped her teeth along her neck. Nicole’s eyes rolled back as she gripped her hips.

       “See what you do to me? _Whatever-the-fuck-that-was_ , that’s what you do to me.”

       The younger girl giggled, darting her eyes up with a feral smile. “Yea?” Waverly knew she had a thing for biting and sucking. But she never tried to figure out _just_ how much she liked it. “Tell me when.”

       “Wha-” He voice was cut with an inhale. Waverly nipped at the furthest edge of her collarbone. She moved right, nipping a little harder, getting the same reaction. She already knew this area was safe, having bit her a _lot_ harder just a few seconds ago.

       But she loved teasing her. 

       The next was more of a bite, teeth gripping her bone. Nicole grabbed onto a handful of her hair, tipping her own head back. The brunette smirked, aligning her mouth with the other edge of her first collarbone, pushing her open jaw forward. Nicole writhed with a moan under her, grinding upwards at such an angle, the dildo accidentally slipped into the brunette. She let out a hiss of pleasure. The Officer winced, quickly pulling out with an apologetic look, but Waverly clamped her mouth down with the same force as earlier, slipping the length back into herself. “Fuck, Waverly,” she growled, jerking into her. The brunette palmed her chest as she rocked her hips, hitting her personal max biting pressure on the end of her bone. She didn’t want to _actually_ hurt her, no matter if she liked it or not. It must've done something wild to the redhead, though, because she lifted her straight up, throwing her across the bed. 

       She let out a surprised shriek, looking up to see Nicole jumping off the bed and grabbing her legs, yanking her toward her. She flipped her over to her stomach and put her feet on the floor, bending her over the bed. A shaky gasp left her lips as Nicole buried the toy in her with an immediate slamming force. She dug her blunt nails into her hip as the other slapped her ass. “ _Ho-ly fu-ck, Ni-c_ ,” she cried out in between snaps. The Deputy slid her hand up her back, pressing down into the dense muscles of the smaller girl. She let out a series of strangled pants as her centre throbbed with extreme force against the base of the toy.

       Nicole grabbed her thigh and flipped her over after a minute, shoving her up more on the bed, all without slipping out. She wrapped her arms around the backs of her thighs, thumbing her clit with her right hand. “ _Fuck_ , you’re tight,” she growled, beads of sweat dripping down her forehead. 

       “Mmn, I’m already close,” Waverly moaned, gripping her breasts for dear life. Nicole dropped the top half of her body forward, shoving her hands under her shoulders, fingers wrapping around the tops as she crashed their mouths together in an opened-mouth kiss. The brunette’s fingers scraped up her back again, trying to find something to grip onto along her muscular figure. 

       The feeling of her nails scratching up her torso flipped Nicole _hard_ over the edge. She wailed her girlfriend’s name into her chest, knees almost buckling underneath her. The smaller girl’s fingers tore down her back as she hit her own orgasm, Nicole’s body rubbing quickly against her swollen bud. 

       Their labored breathing stilled after a minute or two and the taller girl stood up to her full height. “What in God’s name?” Waverly breathed, looking up at her with an amused smile. 

       “I don’t know _who_ that was,” she sighed bashfully, tipping her head down. Waverly pushed off the dildo, sitting up and grabbing her hands, coaxing her onto the bed. The redhead flopped forward onto her stomach, letting out a sigh. 

       “ _That_ was Officer Kinky Pants- Oh my _God_ , your back is bleeding!” 

       Nicole chuckled lightly into the mattress. “It’s ok,” she assured, brushing her thumb over her knuckles as her other hand ghosted over the many angry red lines on her back. 

       “Noo, I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she mumbled, pushing her finger gently into the small spots where blood was gathering at the surface. 

       “You didn’t, Love. It’s ok, I promise.” She flipped over and unstrapped the harness, kicking the strap-on to the floor, pelvic bone hurting too much to do any more of _that_. 

       “And now you’re getting blood on our bed, Love,” she grumbled. 

       “If ya kiss me, it’ll make ya feel better,” she drawled with a dimpled smile. Waverly sighed, holding back a smile. 

       She could never resist the dimples. 

       “Rude.” She laid down next to her, the redhead rolling to her side and wrapping a protective arm around her as their lips met in a slow, loving kiss. 

       After a few minutes, they slowly rolled and Nicole pulled Waverly on top of her, now able to hug both arms around her as the brunette gently pushed her fingers through her hair. “I love you,” Nicole mumbled. 

       “I love you more.” 

       “I love you morer.”

       “I love you most.”

       “I love you mostest.” 

       Waverly shook her head, pulling away from her lips. “Wanna bet?” She challenged, raising a questioning brow. 

       “I do,” she quipped. 

       The smaller girl let out a huff and slid down her body, head hovering over her stomach. She moved her hand up, pressing it up on the bottom of her chin so she couldn’t look down to see what she was doing. Nicole’s abs tightened as she began to suck around on her right side. 

       Waverly pulled her lips away from her stomach with a pop after a few minutes, letting go of her chin. “Voila.” Nicole looked down to find that she had left about 20 hickeys forming the shape of a heart. There were a couple of single love bites scattered around the rest of her torso that she used to throw her off from figuring out what she was creating. 

       “ _Y_ _ou_ are talented,” she giggled, tracing her finger around it. She looked back up at the very proud brunette, her smile switching to a pout. Waverly raised her eyebrows. “ _But_. The bet’s not over yet.” 

       The brunette scooted up the bed, grabbing her phone off of the nightstand. The time read 1:24. “Well. For now, it is. I have to be at work in less than an hour.” She went to get off the bed, but the redhead wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her back towards her. 

       “No, you don’t.” 

       She tutted. “Yea, I do,” she corrected, trying to wiggle out of her grasp. 

       “Uhh, no you _don’t_ ,” she insisted, looking up at her with a cheeky smile. 

       “Says who?” She stopped moving in her arms to hear her answer. 

       “Says me.”

       “Yea, well not Shorty,” she huffed, pulling out of her arms.

       Nicole caught her foot with both hands. “Really? Cause when I talked to him yesterday, he said it was fine.”

       She blinked at her for a few seconds. “Are you serious?” She questioned, narrowing her eyes at her. 

       “Yes, I’m serious! No girl works on her _birthday_!” 

       The younger girl smiled brightly, moving back down towards her. “Did you get me a day off, Nic?” 

       “I did,” she confirmed, kissing the tip of her nose. 

       “Aww, Baby,” Waverly cooed, peppering her face in kisses. “Thank you!” 

       “Mm, you’re welcome,” she giggled. “You know why I did that?” 

       “Hmm?” She mumbled, still kissing all over her face. 

       “Because I wanted to win this bet,” she smirked. 

       Waverly scoffed as she began kissing down her body. “Yea, well, you’re still not going to win.” 

       “How can you be so sure?” She asked through a small shudder as her tongue flicked around her nipple. 

       The brunette continued to kiss down her body, tracing a stiff tongue up her abs. “Well, it just so happens, Officer Haught, that my face is in between your legs.” She traced her tongue up her folds. 

       “Yea and _I_ fucked your brains out _earlier_. What’s your point?” 

       She slowly stuck her finger through her entrance. “You’re about to find out _my point_ ,” she husked, directing her lips to where she wanted them most. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it Haught in here, or just Nicole?


	53. Waverly’s Birthday Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What the title says ^^^

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is all over the place, I'm sorry

       After a few more hours, hunger became an issue for the girls, so they finally rolled out of bed, hopping into a hot shower to soothe their sore muscles. 

       Waverly stood at the sink, straightening her hair. “Where are we going?” She asked the redhead, who had her arms wrapped around her waist from behind, head snuggled in her neck. 

       “Linner,” she answered. “Technically blinner because we haven’t had breakfast either.”

       “Ok. _Where_ are we going?” 

       “Dunno,” she shrugged, standing up straight and adjusting her collar. She was now dressed in a dark grey button-down, some light blue ripped skinny jeans, a black bomber jacket, and her high-top Vans. 

       “I don't even know why I ask anymore,” she sighed. She unplugged the straightener and picked up her makeup bag, going to work covering up the hickeys that were visible above her neckline. She had opted for a pinkish-beige sweater with white skinny jeans and high-heeled tan boots. She grabbed the redhead’s arm and pulled her in front of the sink, grabbing her own makeup bag and covering up all of her marks, as well. 

       “I was going to do that,” she grumbled. 

       “Well, I just did it for you, you’re welcome.” She pushed up on her toes, giving her a chaste kiss. “We ready?” 

       “I think so, yea,” she nodded as they stepped out of the bathroom. They walked into the bedroom and Nicole stopped at the nightstand. “Phone, wallet, keys, switch- . . . Where’s my switchblade, Wave?” 

       The brunette looked over at her, walking to her side of the bed. “I don’t know, was it there earlier?” 

       “I . . . don’t know . . . Shit.” 

       “What?” 

       She pushed her hand through her hair with a sigh. “I think I left it at Shorty’s yesterday. He needed something cut and I guess I set it somewhere.”

       “Do you want to go look for it before we go?” The smaller girl asked as they walked towards the front door. 

       “If that’s ok with you?”

       “Yea, it’s ok,” she assured, pulling the door closed behind her. They climbed in the cruiser and drove towards the bar. 

       “Some jackass probably stole it already,” Nicole grumbled as they climbed out of the car. 

       “With a Sheriff’s Deputy’s last name on the front of it? Yea, sure.” She _did_ have a point there. 

       Nicole’s heart thumped in her throat as they approached the entrance. She placed her hand on the small of her back, letting out a breath before she pulled the door open. 

       “ _SURPRISE_!” 

       Confetti popped and noisemakers blew as all of Waverly’s friends and family jumped up with smiling faces. The brunette clapped her hands over her face, looking around the highly decorated bar. “OH MY GOSH!” She shrieked excitedly, spinning to face the redhead, poking a finger into her chest. “Did you know about this?!” 

       Nicole smirked as she reached in the inside pocket of her jacket, pulling the “lost” switchblade out. “No, not at all.”

       Waverly felt arms wrap around her back, feeling herself lifted off the ground and shook around. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABYGIRL!” Wynonna squealed.

       The smaller girl kicked her legs around with a giggle before she set her down, wrapping her in a hug. “THERE’S SO MUCH GLITTER!” 

       Wynonna pulled out of the hug and they walked further into the room. “Yea . . . Haught Stuff insisted on _all_ the glitter,” she sighed as Waverly handed out hugs to everyone that she walked past. 

       She snapped her head towards her sister with wide eyes, but then looked up at the Officer. “Wait, _you_ _planned_ this?!” 

       “I mean . . . Wynonna did all the work,” she mumbled, swinging her hand out in front of her. 

       “Shut up, I didn’t do squat. I just ordered people around all day. It was her idea.” They walked up to the bar, ordering drinks from Gus. 

       Waverly turned towards her girlfriend with heart eyes. She wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling her in for a kiss. “Thank you, Baby,” she smiled sweetly. “I love it.” 

       Nicole beamed down at her as she was yanked into a hug. “You’re welcome, Love.” 

       “So, how _did_ you manage to keep this one distracted all day, Haughty?” Wynonna questioned. The smaller girl’s eyes widened, a blush creeping up her cheeks. 

       “We . . . went to the animal shelter and played with all the puppies and kittens,” Nicole lied with a smile. _We fucked all day long_ was probably not a suitable answer. 

       “Yea,” Waverly nodded. “It was amazeballs. Food time, let’s go.” She grabbed ahold of Nicole’s wrist and dragged her towards the array of pizzas. “So, now we actually have to go and play with puppies and kittens all day long some time,” she informed, plopping a large slice onto her plate. 

       “Yep. Got it,” Nicole nodded sharply. They got some food and Nicole started walking, noticing that Waverly was following her. “Baby, go mingle! This is your party!” 

       “But-”

       “Go!” She insisted with a laugh. Waverly let out a sigh, smiling as she gave her a short kiss before walking off. Nicole wandered back over to Wynonna, who was still sitting at the bar. “You did a great job, Earp. It looks fantastic.” 

       “Jessie and Chrissy _literally_ did all the work, I think I blew up _one_ balloon, that’s it.” 

       Nicole shook her head, taking a bite of her pizza as she leaned back against the bar. “Still, this wouldn’t have come together without you.” 

       “Suuuuuuure.” She took a long sip of her drink. “How’s your Jack and Coke? My Coke and Coke is pretty good.” 

       “ _So_ good,” she teased.

       Wynonna punched her arm. “Fuck you.”

       “You’re appointment got moved to the 12th, by the way,” Nicole informed. 

       “What?! Why?!” 

       “Doctor’s on vacation or something,” she shrugged. 

       “That’s my birthday! I don’t want to deal with _it_ on my birthday!” 

       "You are finding out if it is a boy or a girl, Wy. I’d say that’s a pretty good birthday present.” 

       “It’s not like it matters,” she grumbled. 

       “Maybe you’ll stop calling them an _it_ ,” she said with a knowing look. The brunette groaned, leaning her head over and taking a bite off of her pizza. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Gus picked up a megaphone from behind the bar, blasting a siren before raising it to her face when the bar quieted down. “Cake and presents! Head back to the pool tables!” Nicole and Wynonna walked over to the tables to meet the humongous unicorn cake.

       Waverly caught up with them, interlocking her fingers with Nicole.“Shae’s here,” she mumbled, a slight slur noticeable from the many cocktails she had ordered so far. 

       “I invited her,” Nicole informed. 

       “Why?” 

       “Because y'all are friends.”

       “ _Yes._  But _you_ hate her.”

       “I don’t hate her,” she sighed, pushing her forward so she was front and center behind the cake. They all sang Happy Birthday to her and she blew out the 21 candles. Gus went to work cutting it and setting it out as they moved to the other pool table that was stacked with presents and cards. 

       She began to tear through them, getting a lot of candles and unicorn stuff in the presents, which she was _very_ excited about. The alcohol was _also_ a plus. Nicole helped her stack everything after she opened it, shoving all of the money and gift cards in her wallet for her.

       “Is that everything, Nic?” She asked, moving all the wrapping paper around to make sure she didn’t accidentally miss someone's card or something. Everyone wandered off, not seeing anything else on the table. Gus walked up behind the redhead, slipping the box into her hand. 

       “Uh, no. I think there’s . . . one more.” She held out the flat black velvet jewelry box with a nervous smile. 

       Waverly looked down at it with an inhale. She took it from her hand, looking up at her. “Nic,” she said in a complaint. “You didn’t have to get me anything.” 

       “Yea, but I wanted to,” she mumbled with a shrug.

       The smaller girl pursed her lips, looking back down at the box. She slowly opened the lid. “ _Nicole_ ,” she breathed in awe. It was a white gold infinity charm necklace, the holes of the infinity sign holding each of their birthstones, a red garnet for Nicole and a blue sapphire for Waverly. She raised her head to look at the anxious redhead. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around her neck. “I love it, Baby.” Nicole let out a relieved sigh, hugging her arms tightly around her middle. 

       “Told ya, Haught Pants!” Wynonna called. 

       The girls pulled away and Nicole shot her a look. “You really like it?” She asked, still needing a little more assurance because apparently her reaction so far wasn’t enough. 

       “Yes, Nic. It’s beautiful.” Waverly removed it from the box and handed it to her to help put it on. She reached her arms up to move her hair out of the way as Nicole clipped it around her neck. She turned around in her arms, cupping the side of her face, giving her a loving kiss. 

       “Nicky! Come DJ! My feet hurt!” Jeremy complained. 

       “ _I hate that name_ ,” she groaned, kissing her cheek as she turned away.  

       Waverly grabbed herself a plate of cake as she strolled over to Chrissy and Jessie, who had somehow merged with Calli, Alexa, and Shae. “Who’s the hot DJ?” Shae smirked. She looked behind her, finding her girlfriend with a pair of headphones around her neck, screwing with the controls on the DJ stand from her garage that had somehow appeared in Shorty’s for the party. 

       “Damn, I should get her number,” she sighed, a smile teasing her lips. 

       “How’s the soulmate life going? You guys live together yet? Married? Eight kids?” Alexa joked, taking a sip of her drink. 

       Waverly laughed. “Yes, no, and _absolutely not_.” 

       “ _You live together now_?!” Calli, Alexa, and Shae asked at the same time. 

       She nodded. “For almost a month now.” 

       “Wow,” Shae sighed. “That was . . . fast.” 

       Waverly pursed her lips at her to hide a smile. “Didn’t you two _meet_ and _get married_ on the _same night_?” 

       Shae was quiet for a second as she took that in. “ _Touche_ ,” she nodded, tipping her drink towards her. 

       “Sorry, hold on. You and Nicole were _married_?” Chrissy asked. 

       “Unfortunately,” she mumbled into her glass. Waverly bumped the doctor with her hip. “We’re better as friends.” 

       “Well, that’s . . . fun,” Jessie laughed. Music slowly started bumping through the speakers that were placed around the bar. 

       “So is she, like, full-time cop, part-time DJ? Cause she looks like she knows what she’s doing,” Calli pondered, watching the redhead twist and turn the knobs and press random buttons on the top of the machine. 

       “Her and her friend, Jeremy, DJ’ed together throughout college at different bars and clubs,” Waverly said, smirking as she watched her girlfriend. 

       Should she be turned on by this? She didn’t know. But she definitely was. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Alright, you two, let’s go,” Wynonna complained. Time was ticking into the early hours of the AM and everyone had left the bar except for them and a few other stragglers. Nicole currently had the smaller girl pushed against the wall with her tongue halfway down her throat. “Seriously! Come on!” She grabbed onto the Deputy's shoulder, pulling her off of her.

       The redhead stumbled back a few steps, falling onto her ass. “Ouch,” she mumbled, trying to push herself up off the floor. 

       Waverly giggled, leaning off the wall. “You fell down,” she snorted, swaying over and reaching her hands out to help her up. Nicole took them and tried to get up, but Waverly fell forward on top of her. They both giggled hysterically. “We fell down.” 

       “We falled,” Nicole laughed. 

       “Thas notta word, Cole.” 

       “Need some help?” Wynonna turned at the voice behind her, seeing Shae standing there with an amused smile, looking down at the wasted women making out on the floor. 

       “I think I do,” the brunette sighed. They walked over to them. “M’kay, Wave.” She hooked her arms under her shoulders. “ _Let’s go_.” She hoisted her off of the redhead and coiled her arm around her waist to hold her upright as she almost fell forward again. 

       “Get up, Haught,” Shae ordered, grabbing onto her wrists as she pulled her to her feet.

       Nicole tumbled forward, wrapping her arms around the doctor. “Hi there,” she hiccupped. 

       “Throw up on me and you’ll never see the light of day,” she warned, getting her to a somewhat walkable position. 

       “Don’t you look at the insides of people for a living?” Wynonna questioned as they began to drag the girls toward the exit. 

       “That doesn’t mean I like to get puked on,” she pointed out. 

       “Fair point,” she shrugged, kicking the door open, using her sister’s body to hold it open as Shae exited. 

       “Thas my face,” Waverly slurred.

       Wynonna looked over, seeing her face smushed against the door. “Sorry, Wave,” she winced, opening it more with her foot and pulling her away from it.

       “So, are you the designated driver or something?” Shae asked. 

       “Something like that,” Wynonna sighed. 

       “She’s preggers,” the redhead snickered. 

       “ _Haught_ ,” the older Earp hissed, swinging her head around to make sure no one heard her. 

       “Oh,” Shae mumbled with wide-eyes. “Congrats?” 

       “Nope,” Wynonna grumbled. 

       “What’d we talk bout, Nonna?” Waverly asked, looking up at her. 

       “ _Don’t see it as a bad thing_ , yea, whatever,” she scoffed. She directed them across the parking lot to get to her truck. 

       “Y'alls might wanna look tha’ way,” Nicole warned, tipping her head to the left. 

       “Why?” Shae asked. Her question was answered as the Officer doubled over, reuniting the many tequila shots she had taken to the Earth’s surface. “ _NICOLE RAYLEIGH HAUGHT, I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD_!” She growled, quickly letting go of her, letting her brace herself against the car they were next to. “ _ALL OVER MY TIRE, REALLY_?” Make that, _her_ car that they were standing next to. 

       “I warned ya,” she slurred. 

       “Mm, ‘s my turn,” Waverly groaned. 

       “Oh no, Babygirl, please don-” Wynonna let out an uncomfortable sigh, holding her hair back. 

       “This is pleasant,” Shae murmured. The redhead dropped forward against the side of the hood, rolling down its incline and falling to the rocky pavement. “Oh, _come_ _on_!” 

       “She fell down,” Waverly chuckled as Wynonna hauled her back upright. 

       Shae dropped to a squat, tapping her hand against her cheek. “She’s out.”

       They heard footsteps crunching against the rocks behind them. “What the hell?” Wynonna turned around, looking at her aunt, who was looking between the four with her hands on her hips. She let out a tsk, stepping towards the smaller girl. “I’ll take her to my car,” she sighed. “You two get that one over there and I’ll take them to the Homestead to sleep it off.” 

       Wynonna nodded, handing the brunette over. “Thanks, Gus.” She looked towards Shae. “You ready?” 

       “ _Nope_.” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The girls woke up at the Homestead later that day, both with horrible hangovers. They were in the bathroom, changing into the clothes Wynonna gave them because “she could smell them from here” when she was in the living room and they were moping in the kitchen. 

       “I think this is what death is like,” Waverly declared as she tugged her sweater off. 

       “Mhm,” Nicole agreed, pulling up the sweatpants she had been given. Waverly leaned her head against the wall with a groan, balancing herself as she stripped out of her tight jeans. She yanked the leggings on and pushed herself upright, turning herself around. “I can’t see,” the taller girl whimpered as she tried to unbutton her shirt. Waverly tutted, looking up at her with a sorry smile as she did it for her. Nicole slipped it off of her shoulders and folded it up, turning to set it on the pile. 

       “Shit, Nic,” she muttered, running her hand down her back, the swollen scratches still heavily visible. She chuckled lightly, running her finger over the heart on her stomach. “Take this off,” the brunette said, pulling up on her sports bra. 

       “Why?” 

       “Cause I want to look at it all.” 

       Nicole complied, stripping her bra. She twisted sideways, looking at her back in the mirror. “And _that’s_ how you know you’re doing something right,” she smirked. 

       Waverly scoffed, running her thumb over the bruised bite marks on her collarbone. “You're funny.” She turned her to face the mirror again, taking a closer look at her back. 

       “Hey, guys?” The older Earp called from outside the door. 

       “What, Wynonna?” They questioned. 

       Now when they answered her, they had not expected her to swing the door open. She at _least_ had a little more common sense than that, right?

 _Wrong_. 

       “Did you see whe-” She stopped, gaping at the two shirtless women. " _Oh Mylanta_."

       Nicole smacked her hands over her boobs to cover herself up. “DUDE!” 

       “WYNONNA, WHAT THE FUCK!?!” Waverly hid behind the redhead.

       " _What in the kinky ass hell_?" She breathed, tracing her wide eyes up her torso to meet the redhead's eyes. 

       "Please get out," Nicole begged, her face a dark shade of crimson. 

       The darker brunette took a step closer to her. “Are those bite-" She gasped, mouth forming an evil grin. "Haught Shit likes to get bit!” She sang. Nicole removed her hands to push her away out of embarrassment, forgetting for a split second _why_ her hands were there in the first place. Wynonna let out a snort as she sucked in a breath of air, quickly covering herself back up with her arm, her face flushing deeper as she turned to grab a shirt to use instead. 

       “Wynonna, leave!” Waverly whined.

       “What the _fuck_ kind of freaky shit did you two do?!” She asked, pushing her hand on Nicole’s shoulder to look at her back. She looked down at her sister, eyes narrowly following the line of hickeys from the bottom of her midriff to her collarbone. "D'you hickey my baby sister, Haught?" 

       The Officer groaned loudly in anger, annoyance, and embarrassment all wrapped up together. She dropped the shirt, not caring anymore, as she grabbed onto Wynonna's shoulders, pushing her towards the door. "Yes, Wynonna, I did. And I also fucked her with a strap-on until she screamed, so unless you want me to go into _more_ detail, I suggest you  _get out_ so we can go home and  _sleep_ our hangovers off before our shifts tonight!" Wynonna's mouth dropped open in horror, frozen for a few seconds. She blinked hard, shaking her head around before quickly spinning and rushing out the door. Nicole rubbed her face as she turned around, trying to make the burning blush go away. She dropped her hands, looking up at her girlfriend, realizing she had the same horrified face as Wynonna. "What?" 

       "What the _fuck,_ Nicole?!" 

       "She asked," the redhead shrugged as she pulled her bra back over her head. 

       "But you didn't have to _tell_ her! Do you know how much _shit_ she is going to give us now?!" 

       "Yea, well, if she does, I'll just scare her some more," she said with a dimpled smile. Waverly groaned, pulling a t-shirt on. They gathered their things and walked out of the bathroom. 

       Seeing no sign of Wynonna in the house, they figured she had already gone out to the truck to take them up to Shorty's - where Nicole's cruiser was. They walked out and Nicole opened the passenger's side door. Wynonna was staring straight ahead, gripping the wheel with white knuckles. "You're sitting by her," Waverly mumbled, giving her a push forward. Nicole climbed in and plopped down next to her, hugging her arms around her right arm and snuggling into her shoulder. Waverly climbed in next to her, closing the door. Nicole could feel how tense Wynonna’s muscles were, so she rubbed slow circles into her arm with her thumb.

       “‘S otay, Wy-Wy, we done scawin’ you now.”

       “Promise?” She asked quietly. 

       “If you never _ever_ do something like that to us again, yes.” 

       “I won’t, I swear,” she assured, finally meeting her eyes. 

       “M’kay good,” the redhead smiled, resting her head back on her shoulder.

       Wynonna relaxed a little, starting the car and pulling away from the Homestead, interlocking her fingers with Nicole on her lap. "You're a horrible human being," she gritted through her teeth. "Putting those pictures in my mind."

       "Takes one to know one," Nicole sighed. 


	54. I'm His Favorite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wynonna goes to her prenatal appointment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND I'M BACK!
> 
> Y'all miss me? Probably not. 
> 
> It took me a lot longer to edit than I thought it would with school going on and all, so sorry about that.   
> It turned out pretty good though. I think I am happier with it now.
> 
> Anywho, you guys don't care about that. 
> 
> So here's 54! 
> 
> Lowkey sucks, but it's cool.

       Reuben twirled his bat around a few times, hitching it up on his shoulder. Nicole gave Jax the 2-4 sign, their signal for an inside curveball. He wound up at the pitcher’s mound, firing a 70 MPH curveball towards them. 

_        DING! _

       Nicole stood up, lifting up her mask as she followed the ball with her eyes as it shot out into left field, Callum pedaling as fast as he could towards the back wall. It was no use. That ball was gone  _ far _ past the fence. She did a slow clap as Reuben rounded the bases. “Atta way!” She smiled, giving him a fist bump as he crossed home plate. 

       They had been doing a lot of scrimmages lately, for Marty saw it as the one of the best ways to show the boys’ skills and what they needed to work on. But really. There wasn’t a whole lot. They were 7-0 right now in their season. And Regionals was in 11 days. They were strong in almost all areas and Nicole and Marty couldn’t be happier. 

       Trey stepped up to bat, tapping the end of his bat on the plate. “50-50,” Nicole mumbled, smacking his back foot. He looked down at his legs, letting out a huff as he shifted his stance to make it more equal. She gave the pitcher a signal and he pitched it. Trey tipped it. The redhead shot up, throwing her mask off as she sprinted over to the right side of the fence by the home team’s dugout, jumping and sliding on her stomach, reaching out and catching the baseball before it could hit the ground. 

       “Coach Officer!” Miguel cheered as she got up and tossed the ball to him at first base. 

       “That was hot,” Wynonna smirked from outside of the fence. Her appointment was at 4 so Nicole had picked her up on her way to practice at 3. She’d have to leave early, but at least she was getting a little time in with the team for the day. 

       “That was your birthday present,” she winked as she walked away. 

       “I would’ve preferred a lap dance!” 

       Nicole spun around with wide eyes. “Earp!” She hissed through her teeth, shooting her a warning look. She could hear some of the boys snickering in the dugout. “Watch your damn mouth, jeez.” 

       “Look who’s talking,” she mumbled with a smile. Nicole rolled her eyes as she turned, walking back over to home plate. 

       She continued on for about 20 more minutes with the team before Wynonna shouted at her that they needed to get going. She told the boys goodbye, heading out to her cruiser. “You actually  _ are _ good at that,” the brunette mused as she buckled herself up. 

       “Wow, who knew?” Nicole mumbled, pulling away from the park. 

       “What’s Waves doing today?” 

       “She was sleeping when I left,” she answered, heading out on the highway. 

       “Oo, did y’all have a busy night or somethin?” Wynonna smirked, bumping her arm. 

       Nicole rolled her eyes at her. “No. She’s got cramps.” 

       “Oh,” she mumbled, sounding a little disappointed almost, for she couldn’t tease her about anything. She crossed her arms behind her head. “I’m glad I don’t have to deal with  _ that _ anymore.” 

       “I think pushing a baby out of your hoo-ha is gonna hurt  _ a lot _ more, Wy,” the Officer pointed out. 

       Wynonna shook her head around. “ _ Don’t _ !” She whined. “That’s nasty!” 

       “What do you mean  _ that’s nasty _ ?! You’re gonna have to at some point!” 

       “Well, I don’t want to  _ think _ about that right now.” 

       The redhead sighed. It was a rare occasion that she understood this girl. And right now was not one of those occasions. They rode in silence for a few minutes, Nicole watching the other girl make disgusted faces at the window every so often, most likely when she thought about it giving birth again. 

       Wynonna finally broke the silence. “So when do you and Waves plan on hopping on the baby train?” 

       The redhead almost spit her water back into the bottle. She wiped her mouth, looking towards her incredulously. “Wynonna!” 

       “What?” She asked, seeing no reason why that was an odd question. “You’re telling me you haven’t even  _ talked _ about that yet?” 

       She blinked at her for a beat. “Well, yea, we  _ have _ . But we haven’t even been together for 6 months!” 

       “And?” 

       “And that is something that will be talked about  _ after _ we are married because I think we are on the same page as of  _ now _ ,” she informed. 

       “Hold on,  _ married _ ?! You’re gonna  _ marry _ my baby sister, Haught?!” 

       Nicole blinked at her again, mouth falling open in confusion. “That’s the plan, Wynonna.” 

       “Do you even have a ring yet?!” 

       Her eyes bugged out of her head. “WHAT?!”

       “What?!” 

       “WHY WOULD I HAVE A RING, WYNONNA?!?” 

       “Well, you said you’re gonna  _ marry _ Waverly!” 

       Nicole shook her head at her. “NOT  _ RIGHT NOW _ , JESUS CHRIST!” 

       “Oooooh! I thought you meant, like, tomorrow or something,” she mumbled. 

       The Deputy sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart from even the  _ thought _ of that topic. “We’re not moving  _ that _ fast,” she breathed. 

       “I wouldn’t put it past you,” she mumbled under her breath. Nicole shot her a look. 

       She pulled into the driveway of her garage a few minutes later. Wynonna looked over at her with a cocked eyebrow. “Why are we here?”

       “Because.” She climbed out of the cruiser and walked up to the door. Wynonna slowly followed. She unlocked it and pushed it open, hitting a button on the inside wall to make the left garage door open. 

       The brunette’s eyes widened as she watched her walk over to the Harley. “Nuh-uh!” 

       The redhead threw her a wink as she tossed her a helmet. “Is  _ this _ better than a lap dance?” 

       “ _ Yes _ !” 

       The Deputy chuckled as she pulled the helmet onto her head, flicking the visor down when she swung her leg over the seat. Wynonna smiled ear to ear as she slipped her own helmet on, scrambling on behind the redhead. Nicole fired up the engine, revving it a few times to get the juices flowing. “Ready, Earp?” 

       “YES!” 

       Nicole walked the bike out of the garage and slowly rolled out of the driveway. There was a 3-mile stretch of straight backroad before her garage, for it was basically in the middle of nowhere. So she often took that to her advantage. Pulling out onto the road, she quickly gained speed, looking down at the speedometer as she frequently pulled the clutch. The purr of the engine increased to a roar as she easily hit 100 MPH. “I LOVE YOU, HAUGHT SHIT!” Wynonna exclaimed, looking around her head with a humongous smile. 

       “You better,” she smirked, topping it off at about 120. The brunette whooped and hollered on the back of the bike as they sped down the road.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Earp?” One of the nurses called from the door. 

       Nicole stood up, looking down at the brunette, seeing that she had dozed off in the waiting room chair. She smacked the side of her head. “Wake up.” 

       The brunette startled awake. “I wasn’t asleep,” she stammered as she traced her eyes around the room, landing on Nicole’s face. 

       “C’mon,” she grumbled, grabbing her arm and yanking her out of her chair. 

       They followed the nurse to a room. “You can go ahead and get on there, Ma’am,” the lady said with a smile, gesturing to the scale. 

       “How do you know  _ I’m _ the pregnant one?” She grumbled, stepping onto the machine. 

       Nicole scoffed, lifting her shirt. “Because  _ I _ have a six-pack and  _ you _ have a baby bump.” The nurse chuckled as she wrote her weight down. 

       Wynonna gagged, stepping off and hopping onto the bed. “I can still see those fucking hickeys.” The nurse moved beside her to take her blood pressure.

       The redhead snorted, dropping her shirt and taking a seat next to her bed. “You’re just jealous,” she sighed. 

       “Jealous that you’re banging my sister?” She asked, scrunching her face up. 

       “ _ No _ ,  _ ew _ . That I have a six-pack.” 

       “Oh . . . Well, I call you Haught Bod for a reason.” 

       “Mhm,” she smirked. 

       The nurse cleared her throat and the girls turned their attention towards her, Nicole’s face blushing slightly, somewhat having forgotten that she was in the room during all of that. “Uh, your doctor should be in soon,” she said with a smile as she opened the door. 

       “Mk, cool,” Wynonna nodded. She left the room, leaving the girls to themselves. 

       “Are you excited?” Nicole asked. 

       “For . . .?”

       “You’re finding out if it’s a boy or a girl!” 

       “Oh,” she mumbled. “. . . Yea.” 

       “Wynonna, _come on_ ,” she groaned. “You have to be at least _a_ _little_ curious.”

       The brunette shrugged, crossing her ankles. “I guess I am.” 

       “Cause now Wave can  _ finally _ buy our  _ Super cool Aunt of an even cooler Niece or Nephew _ shirts,” she informed. 

       Wynonna looked towards her with a small smile. “Is she going to start buying  _ me _ a whole shit-ton of baby stuff now?” 

       Nicole let out a raspberry, leaning back in her chair and throwing her foot over her knee. “You didn’t hear this from me, but one of the bedrooms upstairs already has all kinds of shit in it. We can’t go to Target without her buying something for the baby anymore.” 

       She smiled, picking at her fingers. “She’s really excited for this, isn’t she?” 

       “We all are, Wy. You’re the only one who’s not.” 

       “Wait, how is she buying stuff if she doesn’t know if it's a dude or a chick yet?” 

       She pursed her lips, clearing her throat, getting herself ready for a Waverly impression. “ _ Boys can wear pink and girls can wear blue, we are not forcing gender stereotypes on that baby _ !” 

       Wynonna snorted, shaking her head. “That was good,” she laughed. 

       “Thank you,” the Officer said with a small bow. “But yea. Most of its just unisex stuff.” 

       There was a knock at the door. Wynonna’s doctor peeked her head in. “Hi!” She smiled, walking into the room. 

       “Wassup,” Wynonna greeted. 

       “How are we?” She asked, heading over to the ultrasound machine.    


       “I’m awesome when this one’s not being an asshole,” she muttered. 

       The doctor let out a little laugh as she got the machine turned on. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, now that you are working into your 2nd trimester, your symptoms should slowly start to go away.”

       “Really!?”

       “Really,” she nodded with a smile. “The worst of it is mostly over.”

       “Oh, thank  _ God _ .” 

       Nicole shook her head at her, watching the doctor pull her shirt up and rub some jelly on her stomach. “So. Are we learning the gender today or are we going to wait?”

       “Um . . .”

       “We’re learning the gender,” Nicole butted in, throwing her a look. The Doctor looked to Wynonna with her eyebrows raised, wanting her confirmation. 

       “I guess,” she mumbled. 

       The redhead stood up and walked over to the brunette’s side, watching the screen as she placed the reader against her stomach. The picture showed up on the screen and a smile formed on her face. The last time she had been in here during it she had only been 6 weeks, so the baby had been nothing but a little blob. But now she was almost 14 weeks. It actually looked like a  _ baby _ . It had a head and little hands and feet. 

       She looked down at the brunette to see that she was looking away from the screen. “Wy, look,” she coaxed. She looked up at her with nervous eyes. Nicole grabbed her hand. “It’s ok, look,” she soothed, running her thumb across her knuckles. 

       Wynonna swallowed, slowly turning her head towards the screen. Her eyes widened but were soft as she traced over it’s features. “ _ Woah _ ,” she breathed. Nicole smiled wider, hooking her chair with her foot and tugging it closer so she could sit right next to her. “ _ That- That’s my baby _ .” 

       She looked up at her, holding her hand close to her face. She could tell that it was this  _ very _ moment that the brunette realized that she was having a  _ child _ . Seeing her baby  _ looking _ like a baby was all it took to get her to come to terms with it. 

       The doctor pressed a button on the keyboard, pausing the screen. It was a side view of the baby, all body parts visible. She moved her mouse around on the screen, using it as a pointer. “Well. Baby’s got all 4 limbs,” she said with a smile. 

       “That’s always a plus,” Wynonna mumbled, still in awe of the sight in front of her. 

       The doctor took a picture of the screen and continued on, slowly moving the reader across her stomach towards her side. “Let’s see . . .” The baby’s bottom came into view. “Do we still want to know the gender?” She asked. Wynonna shifted her eyes towards her, looking over to the redhead before back to her. She nodded slowly. “Alrighty.” She moved the reader around some more, trying to get some clearer views. The baby’s hands were moving around at the top of the picture, blocking her view. 

       “It’s trying to flip you off, Doc,” she smirked. 

       The Doctor tutted, pausing the screen again once it was clear.  “I think you mean . . .  _ She’s _ trying to flip me off.” She typed on the screen  _ I’m a Girl _ before taking a picture and unpausing it. 

       Wynonna’s eyes widened, mouth falling open slightly as she looked towards Nicole. “ _ Girl _ .”

       “You’re having a daughter, Wyn,” she said quietly, pressing a soft kiss into the back of her hand. 

       “I’m having a daughter,” she repeated, tears welling up in her eyes. The Officer smiled sweetly, cupping her cheek as they looked back to the screen, watching the doctor take a couple more pictures that show them different parts of her body. 

       After she was sure the baby was developing properly, she printed out the pictures, giving the multiple ones to Wynonna, and a copy of the I’m a Girl one to Nicole. They gathered their things and headed outside. 

       “Can I drive?” The older Earp questioned. 

       Nicole looked towards her timidly. “Uhm . . . If you don’t kill us.” 

       Wynonna slid her helmet onto her head. “I’ll be careful, Haughty, I promise.” 

       Nicole sighed as she strapped her helmet to her head tightly and climbed on the back of the bike, gripping her arms around Wynonna’s waist. She was already terrified. 

       Wynonna directed them out of the parking lot and got them onto the main drag. A smirk worked its way up her face as she sped up, quickly climbing over the speed limit. “Wynonna,” the redhead warned. Wynonna ignored her, speeding around a line of cars. “Wynonna!” 

       “Chill!” She continued on, picking up speed as they flew down the busy highway, swerving around cars left and right. 

       “Wynonna! You’re gonna kill us!” Nicole shouted, tightening her grip around her body. She almost screamed as they drove down the centerline in between the two lines of cars on either side of them. “WYNONNA!” They were easily going 100 in a 60 zone. Why she had thought this was a good idea for a  _ second, _ she didn’t know. “I SWEAR TO GOD I AM GOING TO BEAT YOUR ASS, SLOW THE FUCK DOWN!” 

       The brunette let out an evil laugh as she continued on, not listening to a word she was saying. The cars turned into a blur as they zoomed past them, multiple horns being honked in their direction as they swerved across the four-lane. 

       Nicole’s head twisted around as she heard sirens quickly approaching behind them, seeing Nedley’s cruiser easily hitting 80 to catch up to them. “GODDAMMIT, WYNONNA! PULL OVER!” 

       Surprisingly, the brunette listened this time, and she slowly slowed to a halt on the side of the road. Right as they stopped moving, Nicole clambered off the back seat, falling to all fours on the ground as her heartbeat thumped in her ears and her stomach tumbled over itself a few times, threatening to crawl up her throat. She yanked her helmet off of her head, swinging it at Wynonna’s leg as she screamed curses at her. 

       “ _ HAUGHT _ !” Nedley growled, stepping out of his cruiser. She snapped her head towards him, wide-eyed. Wynonna stepped off the Harley, removing her helmet and looking towards him. “ _ WYNONNA _ !” 

       Nicole pushed herself off the ground, walking towards him, throwing her arms out. “SHE WOULDN’T STOP! DON’T LOOK AT ME!” 

       “ _ YOU _ LET HER DRIVE!” He yelled, face red with anger. 

       “I DIDN’T THINK SHE WAS GONNA DO  _ THAT _ !” 

       “Have you met me, Haught?” The brunette laughed from behind her. 

       The redhead spun around, shoving her shoulders. “YOU COULD HAVE KILLED  _ ALL _ OF US!” She screamed, jabbing a finger into her stomach. Wynonna’s mouth fell open as she flicked her eyes between the redhead and Nedley. “YOU’RE NOT JUST LIVING FOR YOURSELF ANYMORE! DO YOU EVEN TAKE A SECOND TO  _ THINK  _ ABOUT THAT KIND OF STUFF?!?” 

       The brunette looked down at her stomach, mouth still hanging open as she pressed a hand to it, slowly raising her eyes up to the redhead’s. She took a quick step towards her, curling her arms around her shoulders as the tears fell down her face. Nicole let out a shaky sigh as she slowly reciprocated the hug, cupping one of her hands on the back of her head. “I’m so sorry,” Wynonna whispered as she gripped the back of her jacket. 

       “It’s ok, Wy,” she soothed, rubbing her hand up and down her back. 

       “No it’s not,” she blubbered. 

       “Shh, yes it is. You’re ok. She’s ok.”

       The brunette choked back a sob as she buried her face in her shoulder. Nicole gently rocked them back and forth as she took a minute to calm herself down. She slowly pulled away, wiping her eyes. “Ok, I’m good,” she mumbled. 

       “You sure?” Nicole asked, furrowing a concerned brow. 

       “Yea, I’m just . . . hormonal.”

       The Officer pursed her lips as she turned away. “Mmhm.” She walked over to Nedley, sticking her hands in her pockets as she shifted nervously on her feet. “So . . .-”

       “How far along is she?” He asked.

       Nicole’s head snapped up to meet his eyes. “Uh . . . 14 weeks,” she said quietly.

       He nodded, letting out a small chuckle after a few seconds. “I figured much,” he sighed. 

       She cocked an eyebrow. “Huh?” 

       “We haven’t had one disturbance call about her at Shorty’s for almost 2 months now. I knew something had to be up.” 

       She looked down at her feet with a laugh, shaking her head. “Yea . . .” She looked back up at him. “Just write her ticket off to me, it’s my bike, I’ll pay it.” 

       The Sheriff tutted. “You’re not getting a damn ticket, Haught,” he grumbled. 

       “What? Why not?” 

       He tucked his thumbs in his belt. “Well, I’ve never written any of my Deputies a ticket before, I’d rather you not be the first.  _ And _ my shift is about to end and I want to go home.” He let out a small huff. “Plus, if I heard word around the station correctly, it’s  _ somebody’s _ birthday,” he said with a small smile, looking past her. 

       She smiled, looking behind her at the brunette drop kicking rocks into the field next to the highway. “Thanks, Sheriff,” she sighed as she turned her attention back to him. 

       He turned, heading back to his car. “I put a fresh stack of paperwork on your desk,” he said with a cheeky smile, closing his car door. She shot him a look through the windshield, shaking her head with a sigh as she walked over to Wynonna. 

       “No ticket?” She asked with raised eyebrows as she watched him pull away. 

       “Nope,” she confirmed, popping the p. “I’m his favorite,” she smirked, pulling her helmet back on and climbing on the front of the motorcycle. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole pulled up at her house in her cruiser after she dropped the Harley and Wynonna off. She quietly unlocked the door and walked into the house, just in case Waverly was still asleep.

       Though, she probably would have rather woken her up than looking at the sight in front of her. 

       Waverly was laying on the couch sideways, curled up with her knees to her chest and her arms hugged around her, holding her heating pad in place. The curtains were drawn, but the small amount of light was illuminating the silent tears rolling down her cheeks. 

       “Oh, Baby,” she breathed with a frown, hanging her keys up and toeing her sneakers off. She walked over and kneeled in front of her with worried eyes, gently wiping her tears. “Still no better?” She gave a slow shake of her head, closing her eyes. Nicole exhaled sadly. “I’m sorry, Love . . . Did you at least get some sleep?”

       “Only an hour or two,” she mumbled. 

       The redhead gently brushed her fingers through her hair. “That’s good,” she said with a small smile. “What about food? D’you eat anything?” 

       The brunette pushed her head into the hand that was still cupping her cheek, letting out a whimper as her body twinged painfully, tears threatening to pour out of her eyes again. She let out a breath after it subsided to a reasonable amount, Nicole wiping the one tear that fell. “I can’t keep anything down,” she sniffled. 

       The Officer clenched her jaw, pulling her feet out from under her so she was sitting on her butt and rested her chin on the couch cushion in front of the smaller girl’s face. “Is there anything I can do?” She asked in a whisper. Waverly just gave her a shrug. “I can run you a hot bath?” She looked up at her with tired eyes and a small nod. “Yea?”

       “Mhm.” 

       Nicole pushed herself off the floor. “Alright, Love. I’ll be right back.” She gave her temple a gentle kiss before making her way to the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the tub as she turned the water on and held her hand under the tap until it got to a desirable temperature. She dropped a bath bomb in the water and walked to the bedroom, opening their closet. She pulled out one of her Rangers hoodies (that Waverly liked because it was really soft) and a pair of the brunette’s sweatpants.

       She set the clothes on the sink and walked back into the living room. “It’s ready, Babe.” Waverly looked up at her, slowly pushing herself to a sitting position and flicking off the heating pad. Nicole held a hand out and she took it as she stood up off the couch with a groan. 

       “Do we have any more of those sooth-y bath bombs?” Waverly asked. 

       “I just used the last one,” she informed, looking down at her with a smile. 

       She wrapped her arms around the redhead’s, leaning into her as they entered the bathroom. “What would I do without you?”

       “I don’t know, man,” she sighed. Waverly threw her a look, opening the bathroom cabinet, pulling a bottle of ibuprofen out. “When’d you take that last?” Nicole asked, placing her hand on top of the bottle to still her hands. 

       “I dunno, like 2, right before I went to sleep earlier,” she shrugged. 

       Nicole pursed her lips, leaning her hip against the counter. “You shouldn’t take them without any food in you,” she mumbled. 

       She let out a tut. “How am I supposed to eat if my uterus feels like it’s being shredded to bits?”

       The Officer tipped her head. “That’s what the bath is for, Waves.” 

       She sighed, looking down at her hands before setting the bottle back in the cabinet. Nicole smiled, moving towards the door. “I’ll whip up some dinner, alright?” 

       Waverly nodded, taking a step forward and leaning up to give her a soft kiss, sliding her hands down her unzipped Blue Devils jacket. “I love you.” 

       “I love you, too,” she smiled, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly walked out of the bathroom a half-hour later, wandering into the kitchen to find the redhead at the stove. She turned her head at the sound of her entering. “Feel better, Love?” 

       The smaller girl took a seat at the island. “Yea,” she answered with a small smile. 

       Nicole turned around, pushing a bowl of vegetable soup in front of her. “Good.”

       She blinked down at the bowl, then up to her. “Did you make this from scratch, Nicole?”

       “Yea, why?” she asked with a small shrug, sitting down next to her. 

       Waverly huffed. “You could have just made . . . ramen or something.” 

       Nicole shoved a spoonful of food in her mouth. “There’s ramen in here,” she said with a crooked smile. 

       She shook her head at her. “You are too much.” 

       The redhead threw a hand out with a laugh. “I made  _ soup _ , Wave. It took like  _ 10 _ minutes.” The brunette rolled her eyes, sticking her spoon in her mouth. She looked over at her, a small smile fighting to curve her lips. “Is it good, Honey?” Nicole asked. 

       “Maybe,” she mumbled with a small smirk. 

       “You are  _ ridiculous _ ,” she laughed. 

       Waverly twirled her spoon around for a few seconds, leaning her head on her arm. “Some would say  _ soop-endus _ ,” she added quietly. Nicole closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly as she glared playfully at her. The brunette smiled proudly. 

       They continued to eat in pretty much silence with the casual bashful glance and bumping their feet as they swung them in their chairs. Nicole was taking a drink of her water when a thought shot into her head, almost making her spit it everywhere. She had been too worried about Waverly to even put a  _ think _ to it earlier. She pulled the paper, folded in half, out of her pocket and slid it towards the brunette, twisting her chair to face her. 

       Waverly cocked an eyebrow as she picked it up and unfolded it, eyes widening. She snapped them up to the redhead, mouth opening into a wide smile. She let out a squeal as she kicked her legs around, looking back down at the picture. 

       Nicole smiled, rubbing her hand on her knee. “Wynonna gets it now,” she said softly. 

       The smaller girl stopped moving. “What d’you mean?” 

       “She called her  _ her daughter _ earlier.” 

       The brunette’s eyes softened. “ _ Finally _ .” 

       “And I think it was even more so when we got . . .” She swiveled her chair back forward nervously. “pulledoverontheHarley.”

       “YOU  _ WHAT _ !?!!?”

       The redhead was about to explain herself but wasn’t able to. 

       Their front door smacked over, rattling the pictures on the wall. Nicole jumped up and spun around, standing in front of the smaller girl. She flicked her switchblade out, palming it upwards in her hand, pressed up against the inside of her wrist. 

       “ _ OFFICER HAUGHT _ !” A familiar Georgian drawl barked as he stormed angrily into the house, sporting a familiar line of pictures in his hand. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooomeeebooooddddyyy'ssss maaaaaad


	55. Watch Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angry mayn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all. 
> 
> I'm really struggling here, guys. I know where I want the story to go but I don't know how to get there. I'm trying my best, but if these chapters aren't up to par, that's why. 
> 
> I really don't like this chapter, but it's the best I could do. 
> 
> I hope you guys don't hate it too much, lol.

       “ _ DOC _ !” Both women exclaimed in anger at the same time. 

       Nicole let out a breath, shoving her knife back in her pocket and storming towards him. “What the  _ fuck _ is wrong with you, Holliday?!?!” She snapped. Her eyes shifted to the pictures in his hand and they widened, mouth coming open. 

       “What in the  _ sweet hell _ is this?!?” He demanded, flapping them at her. 

       “Where’d you get these?” She asked breathlessly, taking them from him. 

       “I walked into the kitchen and found them smack-dab in the middle of the counter! Pray tell that someway,  _ somehow _ , the W. Earp this is talking about is  _ her _ ,” he pointed a heavy finger at Waverly, “and not  _ Wynonna _ !” 

       Nicole could see that behind the anger in his eyes, there was worry and fear. She pushed her hand through her hair. “Why’d you come to  _ us  _ and not Wynonna?” She asked, avoiding the question he already knew the answer to. 

       “Because I don’t know where she’s run off to! She wasn’t at the Homestead.”

       “How do you know?” 

       “Because I  _ checked _ , Nicole.” 

       The Officer knew it wasn’t like her to leave something about the baby laying around, for she wanted to prevent  _ this very situation _ . “Ok, look.” She walked over and sat on the couch, Doc following in suit. “I know this is weird and unexpected and probably really scary for you, but-” 

       The door swung open again. “ _ HAUGHT FLASH, WE’VE GOT A PRO _ -” The older Earp stopped just as fast as she came in when she spotted Doc on the couch. 

       “Does  _ ANYBODY _ knock anymore!?” Waverly demanded, trying to steady her racing heart for the second time. Nicole shot her a pointed look as she stood up, looking between the terrified Wynonna and the angry/confused Doc. The man slowly got up and stalked over towards the darker brunette. She began to slowly back away, eyes widening more than they already were. The room was silent, besides the ragged breathing from Wynonna and the sound of Doc’s boots hitting the hardwood. He got within a foot of her and stopped, looking down at her face, lip twitching. 

       Nicole went over, grabbing his upper arm and pulling him back slightly. “If you lay a finger on her, don’t think that I won’t haul your ass up to the station,” she growled through her teeth. 

       He ripped her hand off and gave her a one-shouldered shove with a fiery glare. “I would  _ never _ ,” he snapped. She narrowed her eyes at him with a snarl. 

       Waverly shot up with a start, marching over and forcing him to turn towards her, bitch-slapping him across the face. “You better watch yourself, John Henry!” She barked, sticking her finger in his face. 

       His eyes went soft as he looked down at her, regret storming through his veins. His mouth came open slightly as he traced his eyes around at the three women’s faces. He settled on older Earp’s, turning back towards her. He raised his hands, gently resting them on her cheeks. “Why didn’t you tell me, Wynonna?” 

       Her eyes traced desperately over his face, trying to find words. “I . . .” She took in a heavy breath, dropping her voice to a whisper. “I didn’t wanna lose you.” 

       He furrowed his brows tightly. “Why on Earth would you lose me?” He asked softly, seeming to not understand why she would think that would happen. 

       Nicole shifted her glance to Waverly as she took a step back and she gave her a nod in agreement, so they both turned back to the kitchen to finish their meal while the two worked it out in some privacy. 

       “Yo-You’re not going to want anything to do with this baby. I already know that. And I’m not going to force you to, s-so if you want to go, that’s ok.” 

       Doc slid his thumbs up, wiping the tears that were falling from her eyes. “If  _ you _ want me to be here for this baby . . . I’m all in.” 

       She looked up at him with doe eyes. He gave her a happy smile and the wall that she had built up between them crumpled. She slid her arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug. He wrapped protective arms around her, squeezing her tight as she let the tears fall. 

       Nicole and Waverly put their bowls in the sink and the redhead leaned against the counter, Waverly leaning back on her and wrapping Nicole’s arms around her front. “I’d say they worked it out,” the Officer whispered, watching how Wynonna curled the back of his vest in his fists and how he stroked his fingers through her hair. 

       “Yea,” the smaller girl breathed with a smile. 

       Wynonna pulled away after another minute or two, looking up at his bright blue eyes. “Why’d you come here if you were looking for me?”

       “I saw Officer Haught drop you off today, so I figured she’d be the one to know something about it,” he answered with a shrug. 

       “Yea, but why didn’t you just talk to me?”

       “You weren’t home.” 

       She cocked an eyebrow. “Yea I was. I didn’t leave until I came out of the bathroom and saw that the ultrasound pictures had disappeared.” 

       Doc blinked slowly. “That is indeed the one room I did _ not  _ check,” he said quietly. She rolled her eyes at him, pulling out of his arms. “So . . . I think there are some things we should discuss . . .”

       “Like . . .?” She asked nervously. 

       “Well, there are a lot of things, Wynonna,” he said with a chuckle. “Where will the baby be sleeping? Who will babysit while we are out and about with Black Badge?” 

       Wynonna spun around to the couple in the kitchen. “Waves, can she have your room?” 

       The brunette’s eyes widened. “What?! No!”

       “Why not?” 

       “Cause it’s still  _ my room _ . Give her Willa’s room. It’s closer to yours anyway.”

       Wynonna thought it over for a second before giving it a shrug as she turned back towards the gunslinger. “Willa’s room it is. And I’m sure Gus will watch her if we need her to.” 

       “Alright . . . And, um . . . Are we sure that . . . she is . . .  _ my  _ daughter?” He asked cautiously. 

       Her eyes widened for a beat, but she quickly scoffed. “ _Obviously_.” 

       Waverly’s head snapped back to meet Nicole’s eyes, both equally wide. “Oh no,” they breathed. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Can I get . . . two red Gatorades, one blue Gatorade, two waters, a bag of popcorn, nachos, a hotdog, and a pretzel with cheese?” Waverly asked the high school boy behind the concession stand. 

       “Oo, and a bag of peanuts,” Doc added from beside her. 

       He looked at them with slightly wide eyes as he picked up the price sheet laying on the counter by the register. “Uhm . . .”

       Waverly smiled apologetically as she took the paper from his hands and did the math in her head. He turned and grabbed the drinks, setting them in front of her. “$16.50,” she said with a smile, handing him a $20. 

       He blushed as he divvied up her change, another teen handing the popcorn and peanuts to them. They got the rest of their food and walked back to their seats on the metal bleachers. Waverly handed the hotdog and one of the red Gatorades to Wynonna, one of the waters and the popcorn to Dolls, and set her red Gatorade and nachos down next to Doc, who was happily munching on his pretzel, feet bouncing on the seat in front of him. She walked through the dugout and snuck up behind the redhead on the side of the field, pressing the final Gatorade against the back of her neck. 

       Nicole let out a hiss as she quickly turned around to the giggling brunette. “That was cold,” she whined, taking the bottle from her hand and wiping the condensation off her neck with the sleeve of her jacket. 

       “That was the point,” she smirked. 

       “Rude,” she mumbled, holding her hip as she leaned in for a quick kiss. 

       Waverly smiled, ghosting the pad of her thumb along her jaw.  “When’s the game start?” She asked after she pulled away.

       Nicole tugged her phone halfway out of her pocket, checking the time. “They’re announcing the players in about 10 minutes.” 

       She nodded. “Are you nervous?”

       “I mean . . . not really right now. We’re the top seed at 9-1 playing the 6th seed at 4-6. And we  _ look _ to be doing pretty good today, so . . .” She trailed off, looking towards the boys warming up their fielding. “It  _ is _ Regionals, though. You never know.”

       “Yea . . . I think they’ll do great. They’re ready.”

       “They better be,” she mumbled. 

       Waverly squeezed her hand assuringly. “Tell ‘em I said good luck.” She leaned up, giving her one more kiss. 

       “I will,” Nicole assured with a dimpled smile. She turned away, heading back to her seat. 

       The players soon returned to the dugout when the game was about to start. They called out the opposing team, the Littlefield Cougars, first. “ _ And on the Visitor’s team, we have the Purgatory Blue Devils _ !” Their side of the bleachers erupted into claps and cheers. “ _ For your starters, hitting first is #6, 3rd baseman, Reuben Paderson _ !” Reuben jogged out to the third baseline as the team whooped and hollered teasing nicknames at him. “ _ #99, right fielder, Trey Lincoln! . . .  #21, 1st baseman, Miguel Sanchez! . . . #00, left fielder, Callum Moore! . . . #66, shortstop, Owen Yarber! _ ”

       “Let’s go, Owie!” The boys boomed in unison. Nicole snorted, shaking her head at them as she clapped. 

       “ _ #1, catcher, Devon Hartford! _ ” There was a noticeable drop in the loudness of the boys' cheers, the narcissistic catcher definitely not being a fan favorite. “ _ #11, center fielder, Carson Smith _ !” 

       “Daddy Long Legs!” They hollered, making his face go red as he high fived the boys that were already out there. 

       “ _ #22, 2nd baseman, Robbie Sanchez! . . . #40, pitcher, Jaxson Carlton! _ ” The starters on the third base lime shifted to make room for the rest of the team. “ _ #83, Zakary Woods! . . . #16, Leon Harris . . . #75, Taylor Bennington Jr.! . . . #5, Oscar Shaw! . . . #69, Scotty Schlemmer! . . . And #50, Kaleb Knoxing! _ ” The crowd gave the team a round of applause. “ _ The Blue Devils are coached by Marty Fasbinder and Nicole Haught _ .” 

       Nicole and Marty jogged out, the redhead going to the far end and Marty staying by home plate. They stood there for the playing of O Canada and then the team ran out into the field to their positions. Nicole stood between home and third and Marty went to first as the Cougar’s first batter walked out. She adjusted the Aviators on the bridge of her nose, letting out a puff of air as her eyes glued on Jax as he focused in on the batter. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       By the fourth inning, the Blue Devils were down 2-4. The Cougars had been playing better than expected so the boys got thrown for a bit of a loop. This is How We Roll by Florida Georgia Line played through the speakers, signaling that country hick Owen was stepping up to bat. “Let’s go, Owen!” Dolls cheered, leaning his elbows onto his knees. Miguel was currently on third and Callum was on first with 2 outs. 

       The Officer gave Owen the signal for a hit and run, wanting to _at least_ get Miguel home. He circled his bat in the air as the pitcher wound up, firing a fastball at him.

       That he crushed. 

       Right as the sound of the ball dinging off the bat rang through the air, he was off. The left and center fielder chased down the ball as it flew towards the back fence, but some miscommunication left it falling to the ground right in between them. 

       Nicole swung her arm around in circles as she eyed the outfield, screaming at Callum to pedal faster. The center fielder snatched up the ball, chucking it to second base. Miguel and Callum were home and Owen was almost at third base. The second baseman threw it towards their catcher, but his throw was too high and it went over his head, hitting the fence 10 feet behind him. “GO, YARBER!” She screamed as the catcher took off to fetch the ball. He sprinted as fast as his legs could take him as the pitcher ran forward to cover home plate. Owen jumped forward and slid as the catcher threw the ball to the pitcher. 

       The redhead’s heart thumped in her chest as she watched the umpire, waiting for his call on the play. He swung his arms out. “ _ SAFE _ !” 

       She clapped her hands once, drawing her fist back as she smiled at the boy happy trotting towards the dugout. “There we go, Wheels!” She smacked the back of his helmet as he went past, Devon walking into the batter’s box. 

       “Nice hands there, Feet,” he smirked at the catcher, making fun of the previous error. 

       “He threw it high, what was I supposed to do?” He scoffed. 

       “ _ Jump _ , Fatty.” The pitcher threw a ball that he didn’t swing at. 

       The catcher stood, tossing it back to him. “What’d you just call me?” He demanded, turning to face him. 

       “ _ Boys _ ,” the umpire warned. 

       “I  _ said _ you should have jumped, Fatty.  _ I _ would have caught that with no problem.”

       The catcher threw his mask and mitt off, shoving Devon. “ _ Asshole _ .” 

       He threw his bat down, pushing him back. “ _ Don’t _ touch me.” 

       “ _ Shit _ ,” Nicole mumbled as she sprinted towards the boys as punches started to fly. She grabbed onto Devon, trying to pull him away from the boy. “Knock it off!” She snapped. Her head snapped towards Marty. “Keep the boys in the dugout!” The umpire and his coach were holding onto the other boy, attempting to pull them apart. She got him away from the catcher and pushed him towards the fence. “What the  _ hell _ is wrong with you, Devon!?! Do you _want_ to get the team disqualified?!” 

       “He pushed me first, Coach!” 

       “Oh, but I bet you started it!” He rolled his eyes, wiping his finger under his bleeding nose. She narrowed her eyes at him but saw the umpire ejecting both of the boys. “Go get your crap together and find somewhere to sit out there,” she grumbled. 

       “Automatic out! That’s three!” The umpire shouted. She sighed, rubbing her collarbone where one of the other boy’s punches landed during the dispute as she followed him back to the dugout. 

       “Idiot.”

       “That was stupid, Devon.” 

       “You’re a dumbass.” 

       “You just  _ had _ to ruin it for all of us.” 

       “Hey! It’s over and done with. Now get out there! Oscar, get padded up,” Marty snapped, giving them all a stern eye. They continued to mumble under their breath as they jogged out onto the field. The pissed-off catcher made a scene as he gathered his things and shoved them into his baseball bag. “Hartford.” He turned towards Marty with a glare. “Do you know what the rule about fighting is?” 

       “Nope,” he sighed, zipping his bag. 

       “You’re off the team. We have a zero-tolerance policy,” he informed, crossing his arms. 

       “What?!? Coach, c’mon!” 

       “No. You’re done for the season. I’ll talk to your parents after the game.” 

       His lip twitched as tears gathered in his eyes. “ _ Screw you, _ Coach,” he spat, storming out of the dugout. 

       “Make that three days of in-school suspension, too!” Marty barked. He shook his head as he walked past Nicole, going back onto the field. 

       She blinked for a few seconds, still trying to comprehend the last 5 minutes. She let out a heavy breath, rubbing her hands up and down her face. 

       She was  _ immediately _ torn from her thoughts. “ _ NICOLE _ !” A familiar voice yelled. Her head snapped up and she quickly ran out of the dugout to find Waverly. She rushed around the fence, eyes widening at the sight. 

 

**-  -  -**

 

_        The catcher threw his mask and mitt off, shoving Devon. “Asshole.” _

       “Oh shit,” Wynonna mumbled, standing up.

       “Oh no,” Waverly gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as they watched the shoving turn into punching. They all watched Nicole run over, her and the umpire struggling to break up the fight. 

       The older Earp jumped off of the bleachers. “I’m gonna help h-” 

       Doc grabbed ahold of her arm, keeping her in place. “Oh no, you’re not.” 

       She pulled her arm away. “Yea, I am.” 

       “ _ Wynonna _ , the baby. This could turn ugly might fast and you don’t need to be in the midst of it.” 

       Her eyes widened as she glanced over to Dolls. “ _ Baby _ ?” He questioned with raised eyebrows. 

       “Uhm.”

       “Did you not tell him, Wynonna?” Doc asked with a confused brow. 

       “ _ I _ actually haven’t told  _ anyone _ ,” she admitted, which was technically true. 

       Dolls stepped down from the bleachers, moving in front of her. “Ok, hold on. You’re  _ pregnant _ ?” 

       “Mhm,” she mumbled, chewing on the inside of her lip.  He widened his eyes, throwing his arms out in front of him. “. . . With  _ Doc’s _ baby,” she added. Waverly blinked at her annoyedly. She  _ hated _ the fact that she was leading Doc on, making him think that he was the father of the baby when she didn’t even know if he was or not. 

       “How do you know it’s his?” The Marshal demanded. 

       “Now you better watch your mouth there, Sir,” the cowboy warned, stepping in between them. 

       “Well, it’s a genuine question. She sleeps in a different bed every night!”

       “Xavier!” Waverly scolded, mouth dropping open as she wrapped an arm around her sister. 

       They both ignored her as Doc further closed the space between them. “You have _no_ _right_ to talk about her like that,” he growled. 

       “Oh, but I do. She hid the fact that  _ I _ could be the father of that baby from me.”

       Doc’s lips turned into a snarl as he looked towards the darker brunette, who seemed to be in shock, showing him that he was telling the truth. 

       “Hell, half of Purgatory could be the father,” he continued with a scoff. 

       Doc’s eyes locked a venomous glare on his face as his fist clenched at his side, quickly connecting with his jaw, sending him stumbling back a few steps. 

       Waverly and Wynonna quickly backed away, Wynonna gripping her arm. “ _ Woah _ ,  _ Doc _ !” She cried. Dolls quickly gathered himself, body going tense as he stepped forward, swinging at the man. They began swinging left and right, spewing insults at one another. “ _ Guys! _ ” 

       The smaller girl looked towards her wide-eyed before rushing down the fence line a couple of steps. “ _ NICOLE _ !” 

       The Officer quickly ran out and around the fence, stalling as she watched the fight between the two. She went over and grabbed a hold of Doc’s arms, holding them back. “ENOUGH!” He drew a sharp elbow back, nailing her in the chest, winding her slightly. She took in a deep breath, moving in front and shoving them away from each other. “WALK AWAY!” 

       Dolls listened, staying where he had ended up after the shove, chest heaving with anger as he tried to calm himself down. 

       But Doc had different ideas. 

       He marched forward again, eyes locked on the larger man. The redhead blocked him, pushing against his shoulders. “Hey! I said  _ walk away _ , Holliday!” She barked.

       He gave her a hard shove. “You best get out of my way, Nicole,” he ordered. 

       She almost lost her footing but caught herself from falling backward. “I’m not gonna tell you again.” She pushed him farther away from Dolls, walking them back a few steps. 

       “ _ I warned ya _ .” He unexpectedly pulled his fist back, knocking her across the mouth. 

       “ _ DOC _ !” The sisters screamed. 

       He must have underestimated the redhead, for she held her ground. She jabbed him with a lightning-fast one-two punch. He buckled to the ground but immediately tried to get up. She dropped onto his back, shoving her knee in between his shoulder blades as she grabbed his arms and pinned them behind his back. She spit some blood out before whipping her head around. “Waverly, go get my cuffs.” She tossed the brunette the keys for her cruiser and she ran off to her car. 

       Doc writhed underneath her, trying to buck her off. “You can’t arrest me, Nicole!” 

       “Watch me,” she fumed. “Stop resisting.”

       He continued to struggle to the best of his ability as Waverly returned with the handcuffs. Nicole took them and slapped them on his wrists before standing to her feet and yanking him up. “John Henry Holliday, you’re under arrest for disturbing the peace, assaulting a US Marshal, assaulting a police officer, and resisting arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law . . .” Her voice trailed off as she walked him towards her cruiser. 

       Waverly and Wynonna stood tightly together as they watched her drag him away. They looked towards Dolls, watching him gather his things and stomp off in the direction of his SUV. The younger girl got Wynonna to sit down, hugging her close to her side and whispering reassurances in her ear.

       They both looked up at the sound of sneakers walking through rocks a few minutes later, seeing the redhead standing in front of them with gauze pressed to her mouth. “I thought you were taking him back to Purgatory?” Waverly questioned as she stood up. 

       She shook her head. “I called one of the local guys to come and pick him up. I’m letting him sweat it out in the cruiser,” she said, slightly muffled by the gauze. 

       The brunette nodded, taking another step closer, placing her hand on her arm. “Are you ok, Love?” Nicole held her hand out, opening her fist, palm up. Her eyes bugged out of her head. “YOUR TOOTH!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys have any ideas of things I can make these guys do, I'd really appreciate it.


	56. Let's Ask the Third Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lazy dayz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo!
> 
> Here's this one!
> 
> Excuse my butchering of the French language. I tried to check it all with multiple different sources but idk. Let me know below if I need to fix something.  
> Edit: Thanks DynamicCheese for the corrections! ;P

       “What are we gonna do now?” Nicole mumbled into Waverly’s chest. They were laying on the couch, the redhead laying on top of her on her stomach. 

       “I dunno,” she frowned, tugging the quilt tighter around them. 

       They had spent their day off of work laying around watching Friends, not realizing that they were close to finishing it.

       And they just had. 

       “Chandler and Monica got twins, man,” the taller one sighed. “Imagine thinking you’re having one baby, ‘n then boom. _Twins_.” 

       Waverly shook her head, looking up at the ceiling as she ran her fingers through her hair. “I don’t know if I could handle two newborns at once,” she said with a laugh. 

       “Do you know how many _diapers_ we’d have to change?!” 

       Waverly let out a groan at the thought of that. “Too many.”

       Nicole was about to say something else, but she was cut off by her phone alarm going off in her pocket. She let out a complaint, pulling it out and shutting it off, dropping it to the floor. “No.”

       “C’mon, Nic. Go.”

       “No,” she whined, fisting her shirt in her hands and snuggling her face further into her front.

       “Babe,” Waverly warned, sitting up and rolling her off of her. 

       “Wave,” she whimpered. 

       The brunette stood up and grabbed her hand, dragging her to the bathroom. “Aaah,” she said, opening her mouth, wanting her to do the same. The redhead begrudgingly did so. Waverly gently flipped her bottom lip down, checking on her teeth. 

       It had been a week since Regionals. After the other Officer had picked Doc up, Waverly and Wynonna rushed Nicole to the emergency dentist to reattach her tooth to her mouth. The punch had also knocked the teeth on either side loose, so she now had to wear a metal wire, basically braces without the brackets and instead some waxy glue stuff, for a few months until all three bottom teeth reattached properly. And every four hours for two weeks she had to rinse her mouth with saltwater. And she had quickly grown to hate this part of her day. 

       As for Doc, neither Nicole or Dolls pressed charges, so he had made bail.

       The only problem was that no one had seen him since. Wynonna had relentlessly searched for him, but after 3 days of driving town to town, she was still coming up empty-handed. Waverly tried to convince her that he’d come back when he was ready, but she was certain he was gone for good. 

       Dolls was currently only talking to them for work-related reasons but didn’t speak to Wynonna at all. It was probably for the better, though. She was more than mad about the things he had said about her. 

       Now that things had calmed down a little, everyone was rolling by, trying to live their lives to the fullest. The Blue Devils had ended up winning the game against the Cougars, then going on to get the bye, so they only had to play one more game. And they won, taking home the Regionals trophy. They’d be traveling to Calgary in two weeks to compete at Sectionals in hopes to make it to the Championship in Edmonton. Only being a middle-school team, there were no Nationals, so the Championship was for the best of the best teams in Alberta. 

       “Ow,” Nicole hissed as Waverly pushed along her gums, checking on the swelling. 

       “You’re fine,” she sighed, letting her mouth go. The redhead quickly rinsed her mouth out, making disgusted faces in the mirror, Waverly rolling her eyes at her. “You’re literally the most dramatic person I’ve ever met.” 

       “Besides yourself?” She asked with a smirk. 

       Her mouth dropped open, corners turning upwards. “I’ll beat your ass.” 

       “Oh, will you?” She challenged, leaning back on the sink with her arms crossed. 

       "Well," she slowly walked in front of her, placing her hands on either side of the counter around her body, "unless you have a way to make it up to me?" She bit her lip to hold back a smirk. 

       "Hmm . . . I just might, Ms. Earp." She stood up straight, pulling her forward as she rested her hands on her hips. Her mouth curved into a soft smile. "You know I love you, right?” She asked, placing a gentle kiss on her nose.

       “I mean, I’d hope so,” she laughed, drooping her arms around her neck. “Why?” 

       Nicole shrugged, "Just making sure." She walked them out of the bathroom, leaving slow kisses along her jaw. She pushed her against the wall, pulling away from her jaw and cupping the bottom of her chin. "Cause I really, really love you." 

       Waverly grabbed her cheeks, connecting their lips. "I love you, too," she mumbled, slowly sliding her hands to her hips, pulling her closer. The redhead smiled, sliding her hands up her hoodie, brushing her thumbs under her bare breasts. 

       A chill still ran down Waverly's spine and her stomach still fluttered at every touch. It didn't matter how long it'd been or how many times she had done whatever it was. It was always like the first time over and over again. She hitched her right leg, hooking it around her hip and tugging her impossibly closer. Nicole ran her fingers up and down her sides as she detached their lips, pushing their foreheads together. 

       “Je t'aime tellement,” the smaller girl breathed with a smile. ( _I love you so much._ )

       The Officer dipped her head with a blush, grabbing her other leg and lifting her up. “Je t'aime, aussi,” she whispered, pulling her away from the wall. ( _I love you, too.)_

       Waverly’s eyebrows went straight up. “Depuis quand tu connais Français?!” She asked with a laugh. ( _Since when do you know French_?!) 

       “J'ai pris quatre ans au lycée,” she smirked, gently laying her down on the couch. ( _I took four years in high school._ ) Her hand met the warm skin of her chest again as she started a trail of kisses along her neck. 

       “Le parler vous couramment?” She questioned, feeling her right hand slowly sliding downwards. ( _Are you fluent_?)

       “Je l'était avent. Je peux me débrouiller maintenant.” ( _I used to be. I can manage now._ ) Nicole slid her hand under the hem of the stolen briefs she had on, pulling her hand out from her shirt and moving it to the back of her head, pushing her fingers into her hair. 

       “Vous êtes impressionnante, Officier,” she smirked. ( _You are impressive, Officer_.)

       She slipped through her folds, beginning to circle the bud. “Et tu es belle, Mi Amor,” she whispered, meeting her lips with a slow kiss. ( _And you are beautiful, My Love._ ) 

       Waverly had always thought French was a sexy language. But that was _before_ she had heard Nicole speak it. Now she was determined it was _the sexiest_  language. She cupped her hands around her neck, pushing her hips up into her hand. 

       “Mmph, Nic,” she whimpered as the redhead placed tender kisses along the parts of exposed collarbone. The Deputy looked up at her with a smile, pulling her hand out from her hair and interlocking their fingers. The brunette bit her bottom lip, matching her smile. 

       Nicole could tell by the wrinkle in between her brows that she was already trying to hold off from coming undone, not wanting the moment to end just yet. She kissed her softly, pushing their foreheads together. "It's ok, Wave," she whispered.

       Her brow loosened, teeth retracting from her lip. She squeezed her hand tighter into Nicole's, the other fisting the shirt at her waist. The redhead sped up her rhythm, staring right into her eyes as her core started to pulse. Waverly met her eyes, mouth falling open as her breathing picked up. Her back arched off the couch as her she-

       The front door swung open. "Yo, Love Bu- _WOAH_!" Wynonna quickly pulled the door closed. 

       Nicole ripped her hand out of her pants, eyes bugging out as her head snapped towards the door. Waverly let out a shriek in surprise before her brain caught up to what had just happened. " _WYNONNA_!" They both screamed. 

       Nicole shot off of the smaller girl, marching to the door and ripping it back open. "WHAT THE _FUCK_ , EARP?!?" 

       The brunette had her hands clamped over her eyes, rubbing her palms into them vigorously. "Do you have bleach. I need bleach. Maybe a Bible, too." 

       The Officer's face was cherry red from the mixture of anger and embarrassment. "Do you _EVER_ knock?!?" 

       "Only when the door's locked," she mumbled, still rubbing her eyes. She finally removed her hands, looking up at her bashfully. "But seriously, guys? The _couch_ ? People _sit_ there."

       "You have absolutely _no_ room to talk," Nicole grumbled. "I saw _you_ naked before I saw _her_ naked." She turned from the door, walking back into the house. She saw the lump of quilt on the couch and slumped down next to it, crossing her arms over her chest. Wynonna walked in after, heading into the kitchen and going through their food cabinets. “Why are you here?” She asked, throwing her a look as she saw her walking back with a bag of croutons. 

       “I’m bored,” she shrugged, plopping sideways onto their brand new recliner, throwing her dirty boots over the armrest as she scrolled through their Netflix. 

       “Don’t you have other things to do when you’re bored?” 

       “Like?” 

       “Like anything that’s _not_ coming here?” She reached sideways, pushing her legs off with a tut. 

       “You act like you were _busy_ or something,” she mumbled with a smirk. Nicole threw her a glare, face going red again. The lump let out a groan. 

       “You’re just lucky we were clothed,” she grumbled back. Wynonna’s face contorted in disgust. The lump let out another groan, kicking the redhead’s thigh. 

       “You ok over there?” Wynonna asked, leaning forward in the chair. 

       “I hate you, Wynonna,” it mumbled. 

       Nicole sighed, reaching over and pulling the blanket down to reveal a red-faced-uncomfortable-looking Waverly. “We’ll get her back, it’s ok,” she smiled with a wink. 

       She pushed herself to a sitting position, leaning back against the arm of the couch. “This was _almost_ as bad when Gus walked in on Champ and I in 10th grade,” she pouted, shivering at the memory. 

       Both of the other girls winced. “Her poor eyes,” Wynonna breathed.  

       “She must be scarred,” Nicole added. 

       Waverly rolled her eyes at them. “What do you want to do, Wynonna?” She sighed. The other brunette shrugged, popping another crouton in her mouth. Waverly stood up, walking over and grabbing the bag out of her hand. “We could go grab some dinner so you’re not eating all our _damn_ food?” 

       “Ooooo, yeaaaaa,” both girls grinned at the same time, Wynonna staring at the back of her head as she reached up and put them back, Nicole looking at . . . elsewhere. She dropped back down to the flats of her feet, blushing slightly as she watched the redhead snap her eyes back up to her’s when she turned around. 

       “Where d’y’all wanna go?- Jesus Christ, I’m turning into you,” she breathed, eyes widened at the Deputy. 

       Nicole snorted. “I don’t care.”

       “Don’t matter,” the older Earp shrugged. “Let’s ask the third party . . .” She poked a finger into her stomach. “Watchu want?” She waited a few seconds. “Dairy Queen? A Dairy Queen double cheeseburger and onion rings? _And_ a Reese’s Blizzard? You’re right, that does sound good.” She looked up at the couple with a smile. “I think she’s decided.” 

       They let out a joined sigh. “We’ll go get dressed,” Nicole sighed. She and Waverly began to walk out of the room towards their bedroom. “Please don’t get the clicker lost down the recliner!” 

       “The _huh_?” Wynonna questioned with a cocked eyebrow. 

       “The _remote_!” Waverly shouted back. 

       Wynonna shook her head in confusement as she continued clicking through the TV options out of boredness. 

       A few minutes later, her ears perked up away from the Stranger Things trailer she was watching. She hit mute on the TV, _immediately_ regretting it. 

       “ _Fuck, Baby_ !” She heard her sister moan. “ _Unngh, Nic, you’re gonna make me-_ ” A sharp wail pierced through the air. She clapped her hands over her ears, mashing the volume button on the TV until it was loud enough to where she couldn’t hear her anymore. 

       She sat with her hands over her ears for a few more minutes until she saw them walk back into the living room out of the corner of her eye, both dressed and ready to go. She slowly stood up, turning towards them with a pouted glare. 

       “What’s wrong?” Nicole asked with an innocent tip of her head. 

       “I want to throw up my ears.” 

       “Why?” Waverly asked, holding down a smile. “Oh, could you hear that?” She feigned a wince. “Sorry,” she said with a shrug, a smirk finally forming on her lips. 

       They began to walk towards the door as Wynonna’s lips formed into a straight line. “If you ever do that again, I will murder both of you.” 

       Nicole closed the door behind them. “Mm. Yea, I’ll try to remember that next time I’m tongue-deep in your sister.” She looked towards her with a dimpled smile. Waverly smacked her arm. 

       The older Earp gagged, bracing herself against Waverly’s Jeep door. “ _I’LL KNOCK FROM NOW ON, I PROMISE_!” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Well . . . What’d she say?” Nicole asked, swiveling nervously in her office chair, fingers clipping and unclipping her holster strap. 

       “ _I dunno. She just asked how I was doing, normal catching-up stuff, I guess_ ,” Jeremy answered from over the phone. 

       “Did she . . . ask about me?” She asked hesitantly. 

       He was quiet for a few seconds. “. . . _No. I was only there for a few minutes. I didn’t know she was gonna be there . . . Or that she even came up here anymore. The last time I saw her was, like . . . 2 years ago._ ”

       “Yea, I know. Neither did I,” the redhead mumbled. 

       “ _I’m sorry, Nicky_.”

       “No, it’s fine. I don’t want anything to do with her. She doesn’t want anything to do with me. You know that.” 

       He let out a sigh. “ _But I know you still care about her._ ” 

       “I just don’t get it,” she groaned. “She knows _you’re_ gay and doesn’t seem to care, but just cause I’m _gay_ and _her_ _kid_ , she’s appalled!” 

       “ _Nicole . . ._ ” He was trying to help. He always was. But this area had always been hard for him because he didn’t know what it was like. His mom took _pride_ in the fact that he was gay. Hell, she was the _founder_ of _Purgatory Pride_. She just couldn’t convince her best friend to see it in the same light that she did. 

       “I’m sorry . . . It’s just . . . annoying,” she sighed, leaning forward and rubbing her forehead. 

       “ _She . . . said she is going to be at my mom’s all of this week. You could go talk to her? Maybe-_ ”

       “Nope. Not happening. Nu-uh.” 

       “ _You could try_?”

       “Nope.”

       “ _Why_?”

       “Cause I don’t want to.” 

       “ _. . . Ok, Nicky. It’s your choice._ ” A silence fell over both of them, Nicole thinking and Jeremy’s mind filling with sadness, knowing how much it hurt her deep down. “ _I’m gonna let you go. My break ends in a few minutes . . ._ ”

       “Mk . . . Love you, Jer,” she mumbled. 

       “ _Love you, too, Sis. I’ll talk to you later._ ” 

       “Bye.” She pulled the phone away from her ear, tossing it up onto her desk as she dropped her elbows to her knees and pushed her hands into her hair, running her nails along the top of her scalp. 

       She heard footsteps approach her door a few seconds later. She looked up, seeing a slightly-scared Waverly standing in her doorframe. She quickly stood up, walking around her desk towards her. “What’s wrong, Baby?” She asked gently, rubbing her hands up and down her upper arms. 

       Her mouth came open a bit, eyes tracing over her concerned face. “I just met your mom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop


	57. Sinner Central

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mama Haught's here but she is most likely not for the queer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go, my children

       Waverly’s mouth came open a bit, eyes tracing over her concerned face. “I just met your mom.”

 

**-  -  -**

 

       Every time those damn double doors opened, the late October air sent a chill down her spine. And it didn’t help that it was snowing more  _ on top of  _ the 5 inches they already had. She finished refilling the man in front of her’s beer, nodding along to his sob story about his paycheck cut. She poured the woman a few seats over from him a whiskey and bent towards the left to grab a few shot glasses for the two teens she had just ID’ed. 

       She did a double-take, snapping her head back to the head of fiery red hair sitting on the left corner of the bar. Her heart thumped in her chest, recognizing the woman next to her as Mrs. Chetri. She gulped as she finished pouring their tequilas and wiped her hands off on her jeans, walking towards them, being the only bartender there on that Tuesday night. 

       Mrs. Chetri-  _ Ina _ , she had often insisted on the occasion when she came to the bar, looked up at her first. “Waverly! Honey, how are you?” She smiled brightly. 

       “I’m great! How are you!” 

       “ _ I _ am amazing!” 

       She smiled, eyes drifting over to the other woman.  _ Jesus H. Christ _ . Nicole had never mentioned that she was the  _ spitting image _ of her mother. The woman smiled at her. “Hi! I’m Sharon,” she greeted. Waverly shook her outstretched hand.  _ There’s the dimples. _

       “Waverly Earp.” She let go of her hand, dropping to her side as she cleared her throat to try and keep it from shaking from nerves, tearing her eyes away from their inspection of her face. “So . . . What can I get you two?” 

       “Hun, I’m from Texas. I have no idea what y’all got up here,” Sharon said with a laugh.  _ Oh, the accent _ . It was far heavier than Nicole’s, yet still familiar. 

       She raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. “Wow . . . That’s quite a trip.” 

       “That you made just to see  _ me _ ,” Ina cooed, tugging on her ear. She swatted her hand away, throwing her a look. At this point, Waverly couldn’t tell if Ina knew about her and Nicole being together or if she was just hiding it from her, but either way, she wanted it to stay that way. That was a can of worms she did  _ not _ want to open. She was already shaking like a leaf just  _ talking _ to the woman. “I’ll take a screwdriver . . .” She looked towards her best friend, raising her eyebrows. 

       “Uh . . . Do y’all got Bud Light?” 

       Waverly coughed to hide her laugh. She was making this  _ increasingly _ difficult. She pushed Ina’s screwdriver towards her. “We have bottles? Not on tap, though.” 

       “That’ll be fine,” she said with a smile. She nodded, turning to grab one. She returned a couple of seconds later, wiping the bottle off with her towel before setting it in front of her. 

       She was about to turn away to go take a breather, but she saw her sister jogging up to the bar. She stopped, standing next to Ina and leaning forward onto the counter. “Waves, where’s your girlfriend, I need to talk to her.” 

       The brunette’s face paled, eyes widening. Wynonna cocked an eyebrow at her. “Uh . . . She’s at the station,” she mumbled. 

       She nodded, patting the counter and standing up straight. “Thanks, Sis.” She went to turn away but caught sight of the older redhead. “ _ Woah _ . You look like Haught Shit,” she breathed. 

       Sharon cocked an offended eyebrow. " _ Excuse _ me?” 

       “Haught Shit . . . Deputy Dimples . . . Some call her  _ Nicole,  _ more formally  _ Sheriff’s Deputy Haught _ -” She gasped. “Are you her mom!? Oh, please tell me you’re her mom!” 

       Waverly watched in shock as Sharon’s jaw clenched, Ina looking between the three with concern written all over her face. The redhead looked back towards her. “Ina, I thought you said she lived in  _ Calgary _ ?” She questioned with a bite. 

       “Well . . .” She swallowed. “She  _ did _ . Now she lives . . .  _ here _ .” 

       “Yea, I can see that. So why’d you tell me otherwise?” 

       The darker haired woman chewed her lip. “I don’t think you want the answer to that, Shar.” 

       Wynonna looked towards her sister with wide eyes before putting her hands up and slowly backing away and leaving out the front doors. 

       “I do, actually. She’s my daughter and I have the right to know where she lives!” 

       Ina’s face softened, though the rather harsh words were directed at her. “Then why didn't  _ you _ ask her, Sharon?” She asked helplessly. “You’re doing this to yourself!” 

       “No,  _ she’s _ doing this to herself!” She retorted. “I didn’t raise her gay!” 

       “ _ Nope _ .” Waverly turned on her heel, walking back down the bar. She couldn’t do that. She couldn’t listen to her say stuff about Nicole like that. And she wasn't going to say anything she knew without her permission. 

       “Waverly,” Mrs. Chetri called after her. She looked back towards her with a clenched jaw and tears in her eyes. “Come here, Sweetheart.” She slowly walked back towards them, arms clutched tightly to her chest. Ina leaned forward on her arms. “Is she happy?” 

       “ _Of_ _course_ she’s happy,” she mumbled, looking over to Sharon. 

       "Well, she won't be happy when she finds her ass in Hell." 

       "Sharon!" Ina snapped, obviously at her last nerve with her friend. "I don't understand how you can even  _ say _ something like that! When are you going to get over this?! I’d understand a few months, it took me a little to accept Jer because of the  _ same _ reasons you don’t. But it’s been  _ over 10 years _ . She’s not going to change no matter how much you want her to! And you need to accept that!” 

       “Oh, I don’t need to accept  _ anything _ ,” she quipped. 

       Waverly couldn’t take it. She turned and grabbed her purse from under the bar, quickly walking past them as she came out from behind the counter. “Tell Shorty I’ve got to go,” she said as she passed Ina, voice cracking. 

       The woman stood up from her seat, gently grabbing her wrist. “Waverly, don’t. Don’t listen to her, she’s an asshole.”

       The redhead threw her a dirty look before looking up at the shaking brunette. “I’m not directing this at you, Hun.” 

       She threw her arms out in front of her, letting them fall back to her sides as a single tear ran down her cheek. “Do you realize how much _shit_ Nic’s been through because of _who_ she is? The thing with her _father_ , her job in Calgary where she got _harassed_ on a _daily_ _basis_ , when the guy badmouthed us at dinner and it triggered her PTSD and she ended up _shattering_ her fist on her car hood. And on top of _all_ of that, her mom’s had her head _stuck up her ass_ for the past 10 years! . . . But you know what, Sharon? She’s _still_ true to who she is. And she’s still a kind, positive, _beautiful_ human being who would do absolutely _anything_ for _anyone_ without a second thought. So if you want to focus on the fact that she’s _gay_ and that she’s a _cop_ , that’s fine. Go right ahead. I’m sure she couldn’t care less. She’s made it this far without you. But I just want you to know that _you_ ’re missing out on the chance to be a _mother_ to an _amazing_ woman.” Waverly stood there for a second to look at the shocked, yet saddened look on her face before she took off out of Shorty’s. 

 

**-  -  -**

 

       “I’m so s-sorry,” Waverly bawled into her shoulder. “I didn’t mean to tell h-her off. I just cou-couldn’t listen to her talk about you like t-that.” 

       “Shhhh. Breathe, Wave. It’s ok.” Nicole gently rocked them back and forth, stroking her fingers through her hair. “I’m not mad, she deserves it.”

       The brunette lifted her head with a pouted lip under her blotchy cheeks, tears slowing to a stop. “You’re not?” 

       “No, Love. She’s got a hard head, she can take it,” she said with a smile, wiping under her eyes. 

       She dropped her head back to her chest, taking in a deep breath. She let out a sigh with a smile. “Is that where you get it from?” 

       Nicole scoffed, rolling her eyes as she pulled away and moved to her couch. Waverly followed, pushing her sideways and dropping on top of her, curling into her front. “Wave-”

       “Shush. You’re comfy,” she mumbled, closing her eyes. The redhead gave in, wrapping her arms around her, running her fingers up and down her back. “You look just like her.” 

       “Wow, really?” Nicole asked sarcastically. 

       She let out a small huff of annoyance, though that response was what she expected. “No, but really. I thought I found your doppelganger or som’n for a second.”

       “Are you trying to tell me I look like a middle-aged woman, Waverly Earp?” 

       She smacked her arm. “Nooo, quit,” she complained with a laugh. Nicole chuckled, hugging her arms tighter around her. 

       A knock at the door pulled them out of their giggles. 

       Waverly sat up off of her, looking at her worriedly. Nicole clenched her jaw as she stood and walked over to the door, taking a breath before she opened it. Waverly saw relief rush over her face. The redhead pulled the door open all the way and Ina stepped into her office, looking over and giving Waverly a half-smile. She stood up, walking over to Nicole’s side. 

       “Ok. Firstly. I’m really sorry, Honey. I took her in there not even thinking about the fact that you worked there. And when I remembered it, you were standing right in front of me.” She turned her eyes to Nicole. “Second. I’m sorry about  _ all _ of this. I’m really trying, Nicole. You know that.”

       “I know,” she said with a small smile, rubbing her arm. “It’s not your fault.” 

       Ina smiled softly at her. “Thirdly, what I’m most sorry about . . .” Her smile slowly faded. “She . . . was about 6 shots in at Shorty’s when I left and is refusing to leave.” 

       “. . . And that’s  _ my _ problem because . . .?” 

       Ina almost said something but stopped when she heard Nicole’s radio fizz. “We need a unit at Shorty’s for a public intoxication call.” 

       Nicole blinked slowly at Mrs. Chetri, pressing the button. “Is it a redhead, Lucy?” 

       The line was quiet for a few seconds. “. . . Affirmative.” 

       She let out a groan. “Sheriff, can you go?” She called over in a begging tone. 

       “I just clocked out, Haught,” he informed. 

       “Randy, it’s my  _ mother _ ,” she complained. 

       “Exactly why  _ you’re  _ going. That’s an order.” 

       She rubbed her face with her right hand as the left pressed the button. “10-4,” she mumbled. She turned towards her coat rack and grabbed her coat, pulling it on. “Let’s go.” 

       “Who?” Both women asked at the same time.

       She turned, blinking at them. “Have you  _ met _ my mother? I’ll probably need both of you.”

       They looked at each other with wide eyes before following her out of the station. 

       Nicole rolled to a stop outside of the bar, shoving the shifter into park. She stepped out, blowing a puff of visible breath out, snow falling quickly all around them. She opened the back door, letting Ina out, and Waverly walked around to her from the passenger's side. 

       “Are you sure you’re ok with this?” She asked cautiously. 

       The Deputy gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I guess I’m going to have to be,” she murmured. She looked towards the double doors before trudging off towards them, the other two following closely behind. She pushed the door open and took in the scene.

       Sharon was standing at the very edge of the bar, obviously in an argument with Gus, who was standing in front of her, blocking her from getting behind the counter. 

       Nicole let out a grumble as she walked over, shaking her head Waverly's aunt. "Let's go." She grabbed her mom's arm, trying to pull her away. 

       But she spun around, pulling her fist back. "Getchur hands off-" 

       Nicole pulled her head back, catching her fist before it could hit her. "Jeez, Mom!" She breathed with wide eyes. 

       The woman's eyes narrowed at her. "Nicole." 

       The Officer shot her a tight-lipped smile. "Fancy seeing you here," she grumbled, tugging on her arm again. "Let's go. Now." 

       She yanked her arm back. "What makes you think you c'n tell me whata do?" 

       "Cause I'm a Sheriff's Deputy and you're in my town, therefore you have to listen to what I say." 

       "Like Hell, I do," she scoffed. 

       Nicole glared at her. "Don't think I won't cuff you and drag your ass out of here." 

       "Oh, I'm sure you would." 

       "D'you wanna test out that theory?" She asked with raised eyebrows. Sharon pursed her lips. "C'mon," Nicole said a little gentler, letting her arm go. She surprisingly complied, walking past her daughter. Nicole turned towards Gus. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled. 

       "It's fine, Dear," she assured with a smile. 

       The Officer nodded, patting the counter. "I'll see you later." 

       "You'll see me Saturday cause you and Waverly's butts are going to be at the Homestead for Family Dinner." 

       Nicole smiled with a nod. "10-4." 

       Gus shot her a wink before Nicole turned, fast-walking to catch up to her stumbling mother. "Who's'that?" Sharon questioned. 

       "That's Gus. Waverly's aunt. And if you'd refrain from harassing my girlfriend's family, I'd appreciate it." She put her hand on her shoulder to make sure she didn’t fall over herself as they walked out of the bar into the snow. Waverly and Ina followed behind them.

       “If she would’ve jus’ given me ‘nother drink, we wouldn’t have this problem,” she slurred. 

       “I think you’ve had enough.” 

       “Well, I’ont care what you think.” 

       Nicole let out a sigh, giving her the side-eye as she opened the back door for her. “Watch your head,” she warned as she pushed her into the car. She closed her door and walked over to Waverly, pinching the bridge of her nose. “So-”

       “I don’t want her at my house until she’s sober,” Ina grumbled. “I can’t listen to her complain about you anymore.”

       The redhead looked over at her, mouth coming open slightly. “Then what am I supposed to do with her?” 

       “Shove her in the drunk box at the station. I’ll get her in the morning.” 

       She thought it over for a second before shrugging. “M’kay.” She turned, walking over to the other side of the car. 

       “Nicole!” Waverly snapped. She quickly turned to face her with a cocked eyebrow. “What is  _ wrong _ with you?!” 

       “What?” She asked in confusement. 

       “She’s your  _ mother _ ! You’re not letting her sleep in one of those nasty ass cells!” 

       “Then what the hell do you want me to do, Waverly!?” 

       The brunette threw her a knowing look. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole’s eyes slowly opened, squinting at the sun eliminating their room. She let out a groan as she rolled her neck around, hearing the cracks that escaped. She let out a deep breath as her brain woke itself up, feeling the comfortable weight pressing down onto the front of her body.

       She looked down at the sleeping Waverly with a smile, rubbing up and down her bare back where her hand had pushed up her shirt sometime throughout the night. She felt around on the nightstand, grabbing her phone and opening Snapchat. She put her phone in front of the smaller girl’s face and took a picture, using the marker to draw a pink curly mustache and beard on her before sending it to Wynonna. 

       She laid there for about 45 minutes, taking pictures of her sleeping and drawing on her face, everything from Harry Potter to Abe Lincoln. And Wynonna thought it was the funniest thing in the world. 

       She heard the smaller girl let out a small whimper as she brought her arm out from under the covers and felt around for her’s. She grabbed it and brought it down to cup her face, wrapping her arm around it. She smiled sleepily as Nicole rubbed her cheek with her thumb. “Morning, Wave,” she whispered. 

       Waverly slowly opened her eyes, looking up at her. Nicole pulled her up closer to her face and she snuggled into her neck, taking in a deep breath, nose filling with her intoxicatingly sweet scent. “You smell good,” she mumbled. 

       The redhead sighed a laugh, hugging her arms around her. Waverly tilted her head up and Nicole placed her finger under her chin as she leaned down into a kiss. “Sleep good?” She asked, twisting a string from the younger girl’s shirt around her finger. 

       “I always sleep good when you’re my pillow,” she smiled. The redhead leaned in for another kiss before rolling her off of her and sitting up. “Noo,” Waverly whined, grabbing her hand. 

       She looked towards her, flipping her hand over and giving it a squeeze. “I need to go check on El Diablo.” 

       “Nic,” she grumbled in warning. 

       She threw her a smirk over her shoulder as she stood up and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. Waverly got up off the bed with a yawn, walking over and snapping the back of her sports bra against her back, getting a hiss and a smack. She giggled, throwing on some shorts before they walked out of the room. 

       After finding Sharon in the same position on the couch that she was in when she passed out the night before, they went into the kitchen and Waverly started up a pot of coffee. “So . . . what’d that call about Tucker say?” 

       “Just that his lawyer is going to have a hearing to try and get him out of the asylum again . . . It’s never going to work. His weird-ass is gonna be in there for a while.” 

       The couple never had to testify against Tucker Gardner, for he was condemned to asylum. And his lawyer had tried to get him out before. Twice. But even his expensive case staff couldn’t convince a judge to let his ass out. 

       “Good. I never wanna see him again,” she said with a shiver. 

       Nicole wrapped her arms around her front from behind, pressing a kiss to her neck. “You won’t,” she assured softly. 

       She smiled, turning around and pressing her hand against her bare stomach as she stood up on her toes to meet her lips. The Deputy smiled, pulling her closer by her waist. 

       The sound of the coffee pot beeping pulled them apart. Nicole lifted her up and set her on the edge of the island before turning to grab them some mugs. She poured them each a cup, handing one to Waverly as she stepped in between her legs, resting her arms on her thighs. “Have we decided what kind of pizza we’re getting for Sunday yet?” She asked. 

       “Domino’s is cheapest,” she shrugged. “And you don’t like Pizza Hut cause you’re a weirdo.” 

       “Their crust is too chewy,” she defended. 

       Waverly shook her head, locking her ankles behind her back. “I’m going to Walmart to get the stuff for the punch and chips and shit tomorrow.” 

       Nicole nodded. “Just drop it all off at the garage after so  _ somebody _ isn’t tempted to eat it all.” 

       The brunette blinked down at her. “Is that  _ somebody _ you?”

       She took a slow sip of her coffee. “Possibly.” 

       “ _ Dork _ ,” she giggled. 

       Nicole smirked, tracing small patterns on her leg. “Calamity needs more food, too.” 

       She nodded, looking down at the chair as the cat jumped up on it at the sound of her name. “Did you hear that? Mommy’s gettin you more food,” the redhead cooed. 

       Calamity Jane meowed, continuing her journey up onto the counter, walking onto Waverly’s legs, sitting down and looking up at her. “I gettin you more food,” she smiled, rubbing her thumbs on either side of her face, “cause Momma knew you was runnin low and didn’t do anythin about it.” 

       Nicole pursed her lips at her as she grabbed her swaying tail that was hitting her face. She let out a meow in complaint, scooting closer to Waverly. “Quit being mean to her,” she chastised, hugging her closer.   


       “I’m not mean to her!” 

       She tipped her head with a look, releasing the feline from the hug. CJ stood up, walking back down her thighs toward the redhead. Nicole smiled, wrapping her arms around her and kissing the top of her head. Calamity purred, rubbing her face against her cheek. “She just  _ hates _ me, doesn’t she?” 

       “You’re just asking to get hit,” she grumbled. 

       A pained groan came from the living room, bringing their attention away from their conversation. Nicole stood up straight, watching her mother flip over, rubbing her hands on her face. She leaned her head closer to the cat’s, pointing her finger towards her. “ _ Attack _ !” She whispered. 

       “ _ Nicole _ ,” Waverly hissed. She smirked, watching the cat jump off the counter and trot towards the other redhead. She jumped up on the end of the couch and walked up her legs, sitting right on her chest, head hovering over her’s. 

       Sharon’s eyes shot open, looking up at the yellow ones examining her face. “What in the Devil’s Hell?!” She quickly pushed herself to a sitting position, scooting away from the feline. She looked up at the sounds of snickering coming from across the room. 

       Nicole pushed herself away from the counter and helped the brunette down, sticking her hands in her pockets as she walked over to the end of the couch. “I see you’ve met Calamity Jane,” she smirked. 

       Sharon stared up at her with confusion written all over her face. “Where am I?”

       “You’re in our house, Mother.” She dropped down onto the couch, kicking her feet up onto her legs. 

       She pushed them off. “Why?” 

       “Cause Ina’s mad at you.” 

       Sharon furrowed her brows. “ _ Why _ ?” 

       Waverly walked up behind the Officer, placing her hands on her shoulders. Nicole tipped her head back to look at her. “You two have fun. I’m gonna shower, ok?”

       Her eyes widened. “Wa-” 

       She pat her cheek with a smile before walking off towards the bathroom, not giving her a chance to complain. Nicole sighed, bringing her head back down to look at her mom. “What does Ina  _ usually _ get mad at you about?” 

       She pursed her lips, crossing her arms. “. . . Where’s your shirt?” 

       “ _ Mom _ ,” she warned, not wanting her to avoid the question. 

       She threw her arms out in defense. “What d’you want me to say, Nicole?!” 

       “Well, you could try having a conversation with me  _ without _ telling me how horrible of a daughter I am?” She suggested. “Cause, ya know . . . That’s what most parents do.” 

       “And how bout you try ‘n do that  _ without _ callin me a horrible mother?” 

       “I mean . . . you  _ have  _ neglected me for the majority of my life . . . so . . .” 

       “Oh, Pumpkin, come  _ on _ ,” she complained. 

       Nicole’s face twitched at the use of her childhood nickname. “You have, Mom,” she mumbled, looking down at the cat on her lap. 

       “You’re the one who decided that you wanted t-” 

       “ _ No _ , Mom,” she cut. “Don’t even start with that. I’ve heard it a million times.” 

       “Then stop being so damn  _ stubborn _ !” 

       Her eyes widened. “ _ I’m _ the stubborn one?! That’s real rich.” 

       “Have you read the Bible, Nicole! I don’t understand why you think it’s ok!” 

       She had to laugh at that. “Have  _ you _ ? Cause I’m pretty sure there’s a part in there about not eating shrimp, but I guess you don’t listen to that one cause I’m pretty sure it’s your favorite food. Oh! Or the tattoo one? That cross on your ankle is  _ really  _ contradicting when you think about it.” 

       “Those are stupid restrictions, Nicole,” she grumbled. 

       “ _ Right _ , but if I remember correctly . . . I was born in  _ January _ of  _ 1990 _ and y’all got married in  _ July _ of  _ 1989 _ . . . That’s only 6 months apart. I guess  _ that restriction _  was stupid, too, huh?” 

       Sharon’s face tightened. “ _ Nicole Rayleigh Haught _ -” 

       She put her hands up in defense. “I’m just sayin, Mom.” 

       “Well, you better quit  _ just sayin _ before I whoop your ass!” 

       “Mom! It’s  _ 2016 _ ! You say those rules are stupid. Do you know why? Because we are  _ modernizing _ ! I mean, yea. It’s still illegal to go stab someone or rob a bank, but that’s because it  _ hurts _ people when you do that . . . But being gay? I’m not hurting anyone by being in love with a woman-” 

       “ _ LOVE _ ?!?” She exclaimed with wide eyes. 

       “Yes, Mother. Waverly and I are in love. Is that hurting you in any way?” 

       “Yes!” 

       She sighed annoyedly. “How?” 

       “Because! God doesn’t want that!”

       She raised her eyebrows in question. “Really? Did he tell you that?” 

       Sharon threw her a look. “It’s in the  _ Bible _ , Nicole.” 

       “Yet, you  _ still _ threw your V-card out the window before you said I Do,” she sighed with a half-smile. “Us Haughts are Sinner Central, I’m telling ya.” 

       Sharon clenched her jaw as she pushed herself off the couch, stomping off to the kitchen and muttering comments under her breath. She began ripping open cabinets. Nicole got up, walking over and standing by the island. “ _ Left _ ,” she coughed. Her mother paused, looking back at her before opening the cabinet she directed her to, slowly pulling a mug out and filling it with coffee. Nicole smirked to herself, leaning back against the counter where she was standing. Sharon took a long sip, staring right at her. The Officer stared right back. 

       The silence chilled the air as minutes passed, their eyes staying locked on one another. 

       Sharon finally broke it after a few more. “You’ve grown up.” 

       She nodded with an inhale. “It’s been  _ 4 years _ , Mom.”

       “I know,” she mumbled. “You’re an adult now.” 

       “. . . And have been for 8 years . . .” 

       She was quiet for a few seconds, looking down into her mug. “You’re old ‘nough to make your own decisions . . .” She looked up at her, “even if I don’t agree with it.” Nicole nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. “. . . If you’re willin to try and make somethin between us work . . . I guess I am, too.” 

       Her eyes widened. “Really?” She asked softly, almost in disbelief. 

       Sharon nodded with a sad shrug. “You’re my daughter, Pumpkin. You’re all I got left.” 

       Nicole’s eyes slowly filled with tears. She stepped forward, clutching her arms around her mother and pressing her face into her shoulder. Sharon wrapped her arms around her, letting out a shaky breath. 

       She pulled away a minute later, cupping her cheeks and wiping her tears. “I’m gonna try,” she whispered. 

       “That’s all I’ve ever wanted,” she mumbled. 

       “I know,” she soothed. “I’m sorry.” 

       Nicole let out a breath to calm herself down and her mom dropped her hands from her face. “If this is going to work, you have to be ok with me and Waves . . . She’s my everything, Mom.” 

       She could see the nerves building on her face. “I . . .” She closed her eyes, slowly nodding her head. “I will. It might take some time, but I will.” 

       The Officer smiled. “You’ll love her, I promise.”

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly shut the hairdryer off, unplugging it from the wall and shoving it back under the sink. She brushed through her hair and tossed her clothes in the hamper, opening the bathroom door. 

       She paused, focusing on the sounds coming from down the hall. 

_        Laughter _ ? 

       She slowly made her way towards the living room and kitchen, stopping when she got to the end of the hallway. She traced her eyes around the kitchen, lips set in a straight line. 

       There were Cheerios  _ covering _ the floor. Nicole was standing at one end of the island and her mom was at the other. It was clear exactly what they were doing. 

       Nicole lined up her shot. “Ready, ready, ready!” She tossed the Cheerio and Sharon successfully caught it in her mouth. 

       “ _ YESSSSSSS _ !!!” They both cheered before erupting into laughter. 

       Waverly continued to blink at them until Nicole calmed down, finally seeing her standing there. Her mouth came open slightly, eyes going wide. “Hey, Baby,” she said slowly, mouth curving into a scared smile. 

       She glared at her for a few more seconds before letting out a sigh and walking towards the living room. “I’m not cleaning that up.”

       Nicole looked towards her mom, who had a nervous look on her face. The younger Haught’s mouth slowly formed a smirk, Sharon’s soon following. She let out a snort and within seconds, they were both cackling. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes. Rekindling relationships. That's what we needed :)


	58. The One With Her Kid in a Bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's getting two Haught in here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not trying to be a crabass here, but chapters like the last one are really when I need y'alls feedback because that was a big step in the story and I still don't know how y'all feel about it. I'm one of those people that needs reassurance in life to function... 
> 
> On a better note, we hit 1000 kudos a couple of days ago! Thank you guys so much for supporting me throughout this trainwreck of a story! 
> 
> Chapter 58, here we go!

       After they cleaned up the Cheerios mess, Sharon decided to hop in the shower to get the smell of the night before off of her. Nicole wandered into the living room, climbing up on the recliner next to Waverly. 

       “Can you tell me what going on now?” She asked, curling into her side. 

       “She said she’s gonna try and be my mom again.” 

       The brunette’s face lightened up. “Really?” 

       She nodded, kissing her forehead. “I’ll never forgive her for everything, but it’s a start, I guess.”

       “An  _ amazing _ start,” she added. 

       Nicole was quiet for a beat. “I don’t wanna get my hopes up, though,” she mumbled. 

       The smaller girl nodded, running her fingers up and down her side. “Let’s just wait and see what comes, ok?” 

       A slow grin pushed onto her face. She grabbed the back of Waverly’s knee, pulling her to straddle her lap. “I have a feeling I know what’s gonna come.” She pushed forward on her ass, making her hips press into her bare stomach. 

       Her eyes widened. “Nic, no.”

       The redhead pulled her down to meet her lips. “Why?” 

       “Because we can’t,” she mumbled as she tangled her hands in her hair and ground her hips into her lap.

       “You don’t seem too sure about that,” Nicole smirked. 

       “You’re mom’s, like,  _ right _ there.” 

       “We’ll be quiet.” 

       The brunette rolled her eyes as she shifted to her thigh. “You’re lucky I’ve been horny all  _ god damn _ morning.” 

  


**.  .  .**

 

       The next two days passed without issue. Nicole and her mother were getting on nicely. There were a few bumps here and there, but that was expected. 

       “Seriously, Nicole?” Waverly scoffed. 

       “How dare you?” Sharon added. 

       The redhead rolled her eyes at them. “I am not taking you to Dallas  _ just _ so you can try Whataburger,” she grumbled. 

       Waverly rolled her body so her head was on her thigh. “Isn’t Dallas your  _ favorite _ place in the world besides the ocean?” 

       "Obviously.” 

       “Sooo . . . take me so you can see your favorite place in the world  _ and _ so I can try Whataburger . . . We can go see a Rangers game?” She coaxed, drumming her fingers on her arm. 

       “Next season doesn’t start till March,” she informed with a smile. Waverly sighed, pursing her lips. 

       “Ain’t that some bullshit? The Cubs and Indians?” Nicole’s mom asked. 

       She shook her head. “Chicago decided to step off their high horse and actually play some baseball.” 

       “Huh?” The brunette questioned, staring up at her with a cocked eyebrow.    


       “They’re in the World Series this year. If they win, it’ll be the first time in 108 years or something like that . . .” She let out a huff. “The Cubs are one of the most overrated teams in the league.” 

       Waverly nodded her head with wide eyes, trying to figure out why she even asked. 

       “Don’t get her started on the Astros,” Sharon chuckled. 

       “Hey!” Nicole snapped. “We do not  _ speak _ of them in this house!” 

       She put her hands up, holding back a laugh. “Sor-ry.” 

       Waverly blinked a few times, sitting up off of her lap as she felt her phone ringing in her pocket. The redhead pulled it out, pressing it to her ear. “Hey, Sheriff,” she answered. The brunette slowly watched her face fall as he spoke to her. She gently placed her hand on her thigh, looking at her with worried eyes. “When?” The redhead asked, pushing herself off the couch. Waverly stood up with her, grabbing her arm. “Uh-huh.” She nodded along with whatever he was saying, looking past her. “Yea . . . I’m on my way.” She hung up the phone, shoving it in her pocket as she turned away. 

       “Nicole, what the hell?” She called after her. 

       “I don’t know, Wave!” She answered, closing the door of their bedroom behind her. 

       She shook her head, quickly walking down the hallway and entering their room, finding the Officer already pulling her uniform pants up her body. “No, you  _ do _ know. You’re just not telling me.”

       She buttoned them, yanking her shirt off and grabbing the other off a hanger. “I don’t know enough to tell you and I don’t want you to get worried, ok?” 

       “It’s a little late for that!” 

       “Baby,” she breathed, walking towards the door. “Trust me. I will tell you when I know more.” 

       The younger girl followed her down the hallway, rubbing her hands on her face. Nicole quickly pulled her boots on, lacing them up. “I don’t like this, Nic,” she mumbled. 

       Nicole clipped her belt on, grabbing her gun out of the gun safe and pushing the clip in. “I know, Love. I’m sorry.” She stepped towards her, cupping her cheeks. “It’ll be ok, alright?”

       Waverly slowly nodded. “Don’t do anything stupid.” 

       She smiled, pushing their foreheads together. “I won’t.” She pulled her in for a soft kiss. “I love you.” 

       “I love you, too,” she mumbled. “Gus’ll kill you if you’re not there tonight.” 

       “Exactly why I’ll make sure I’m there,” she said with a nervous smile. Waverly laughed lightly, pulling her in for one more kiss. “I’ll text you when I’m on my way.” 

       She nodded as Nicole walked towards the door. “Be careful, Nic, I mean it.” 

       “I  _ will _ , Waves. I don’t even know if I’ll be leaving the station.” 

       A bit of relief lifted off of her chest with that. “Ok,” she breathed quietly. 

       Nicole gave her a small smile as she stepped out the door. Her eyes shifted to the other redhead. “I’ll see you later, Mom.” 

       “Bye, Pumpkin. Don’t be a dumbass!” 

       “You people have  _ no _ faith in me,” she grumbled as she pulled the door closed behind her. 

  


**.  .  .**

  


       “I’m sure she just got held up,” Jeremy comforted with a smile. Everyone was at the Homestead. Wynonna, Gus, Waverly, and the additions of Sharon, Ina, and Jeremy. But it had been 6 hours since she had heard from Nicole. 

       And she was rightfully flipping her shit. 

       “I have texted her _14_ _times_ , Jeremy. _14_! And she hasn’t even _read_ any!” She pushed her hands into her hair, pulling at her roots. "And she said she'd tell me when she was coming!"

       “Babygirl, c’mere,” Wynonna called from the kitchen. 

       Waverly looked up at her and she motioned her over with her finger. She let out a sigh as she stood up, sulking over to her sister. “What?”

       Wynonna handed her a shot glass. “Drink.” 

       “Why?” 

       “Because you’re stressed. Drink.” 

       She looked up at her then down to the glass then back up to her and down again before tipping it back. Her face scrunched up as she tried to get the taste out of her mouth. “Ick.” 

       The older Earp pat her shoulder. “Better?” 

       “ _ No _ .” 

       She tipped her head at her, furrowing her brows. She let out a sigh as she took the glass and filled it with more vodka, handing it out to her. 

       “Wynonna, knock it off,” Gus scolded, taking the shot from her hand and pouring it down the drain. She looked towards the smaller girl. “She’s fine, Honey. Go sit down.” 

       Waverly swallowed the lump in her throat as she walked over to the table and sat down. The rest of the people gathered around, taking their spots. Everyone made their plates, beginning chatting up a storm and Waverly sat quietly, pushing her food around on her plate, eyes locked on the front door as her stomach tied itself in knots. 

_        Finally _ , after 7 minutes and 48 seconds, the door quickly opened as the redhead rushed into the house, quickly finding her seat between Jeremy and Waverly. She pushed a kiss into the top of her head and rustled her hand through his hair before sitting down. “I am  _ so _ sorry, Gus. I was finishing up at the station and then got a call to a hit and run and  _ that _ led to a car chase and then an arrest and a lot of paperwork . . .” She waved her hand around, turning to look towards her girlfriend, who was slowly blinking at her.

       “ _ So _ , you didn’t answer your phone  _ because _ ?” 

       Nicole’s brow creased confusedly. “What d’you mean?” She pulled her phone out of her uniform pocket, eyes widening. “ _ That’s _ probably why . . .” She turned her phone to face her, revealing the completely shattered front. 

       “ _ Nicole _ , you got this like  _ two _ months ago,” she grumbled, taking it from her and pressing the power button, but the screen stayed black. 

       “I didn’t  _ try _ to land on it,” she mumbled. 

       “ _ Land _ on it? What’d you do?” 

       Her eyes widened again. “Uhhh . . .” 

  


**-  -  -**

  


       “Sheriff and Haught, he’ll be at your 20 in a minute or so. He’s speeding along at a good 140 now,” Lonnie called over their radio. 

       They had just stopped to get ready to throw out spike strips in order to stop the car before it left their jurisdiction. Nicole squinted up the road, seeing the red truck barrelling towards them in the distance. She let out a breath as she got ready, flicking her eyes between Nedley and the truck. 

       He quickly got within a few football fields of them. “Ready, Haught? 1, 2, 3!” They threw the spikes out on each side of the road. 

       The man in the truck realized what was ahead of him and slammed on his breaks, causing the vehicle to swerve out of control on the icy road. 

       Her eyes widened, seeing the front end coming right for her. “ _ HAUGHT _ !” She sprinted a few steps before launching herself into the snow-filled ditch just as hit the strips, sending the truck rolling across the road. 

       Nicole quickly pushed herself up and brushed herself off, trying to get as much of the snow off of her as she could before she drew her gun and climbed out, running towards Nedley as he approached the vehicle. 

       “You good, Kid?” He asked as they slowly walked forwards. 

       “Yea, I’m fine,” she assured, hearing the other cruisers approaching in the distance. 

       He nodded, looking back towards the wreck. “EXIT THE VEHICLE WITH YOUR HANDS UP!” 

  


**-  -  -**

  


       “. . . Nothing, just when I tackled the guy,” she said with an innocent shrug. 

       Waverly shook her head at her, setting it down on the table. “You need a better case, Love.” 

       Gus cleared her throat. “Now that we’re  _ all _ here-”

       “Not all,” Wynonna muttered under her breath. 

       Everyone at the table turned their heads to look at her. Waverly's brow furrowed sadly. 

       Doc had been missing for a month now and it had seemed to be making Wynonna spiral further and further into a fit of worry. She was terrified that there was the possibility that she'd be raising the baby on her own. 

       And it was hard for Waverly seeing her sister like this. She had never seen her care so much about a guy before. It had always just been fuck 'em and chuck 'em with all her previous boyfriends or whatever she called the majority of them. And it wasn't that she wanted him there for the baby. Waverly could tell she wanted him there for both of them. 

       And she wasn't the only one that missed him. They all did. Life gets boring not hearing that Georgian drawl every day. And not to mention that having  _ the greatest gunslinger to have ever lived’s _ help during the more  _ challenging _ Black Badge missions was pretty darn sweet. 

       “I’ve got a story,” Sharon announced. Nicole looked towards her nervously as she shoved a fork of mashed potatoes in her mouth. “So. A long while ago, I’d say about . . .  _ 23 years or so _ ?” She met her daughter’s eyes with a sneer. 

       Nicole’s eyes bugged out. “ _ No _ ,” she warned, shaking her head at her. “Don’t you dare.” 

       “I was havin' my boss over for dinner- I had just switched to a new company and wanted to make a good first impression, ya know? So as I’m fixin' dinner, I put her father in charge of bathin' and dressin' her, wantin' to show off my wonderful parenting skills with my  _ cute little 3-year-old _ .” 

       Nicole had slowly started to slide down in her chair, pulling up her jacket to cover half her face.

       “My boss and her husband arrived and everythin' was going great. We were drinkin' some  _ wine _ , eatin' some  _ appetizers _ as the food finished up. Now, little did I know, things on the other end of the house were  _ not _ lookin' so pretty.” 

       The redhead sunk farther into her chair as slow smiles inched onto the faces around her. 

       “I’m chattin' up my boss, we’re gettin' to know each other, and I hear, “ _ Mama, look at my dress! _ ” come from behind me. So I turn around, expectin' to find her in somethin' cute or whatever. Mm-mnm, _nope_. There’s Nicole with her hands on her hips and a proud smile on her face, standin' in the middle of the kitchen in a  _ goddamn  _ plastic bag!” 

       Nicole let out a loud, exaggerated groan and her face went a deep red, hearing the laughter circulate all around her. 

       “Here’s what happened. The dumbass somehow forgot to get an outfit until  _ after _ he got her out of the bath, so he left her in the bathroom all by her lonesome for about 3 minutes as he rushed off to go throw somethin' together. And  _this one_ wanted to make Mama and Daddy proud by dressin' herself, so she decided on the closest thing to clothes she could find: a white,  _ basically see-through _ plastic bag from the trashcan in the bathroom. She grabbed it, dumped  _ all the trash _ on the floor, and stuck her feet through the bottom, pulling the straps over her arms.”

       “ _ Mom _ ,” Nicole whined. 

       “You be quiet,” she tutted. “So, as you’d expect, I’m  _ mortified _ because my daughter is standin'  _ basically naked  _ in front of my new boss. And here comes her father, stoppin' like a deer in headlights in the door frame. He finally came in and scooped her up, carryin' her away . . . But yea. Still to this day, I’m known as the one with her kid in a bag.” 

       Waverly pat at her eyes with her napkin as she tried to calm down from her laughing fit and the taller girl dropped her head to her hands, leaning her forehead on the table. “Why do you  _ always _ tell  _ everyone  _ that story?”

       “Because it’s fucking hilarious, Haught Shit,” Wynonna snorted. She let out another groan. 

       Waverly coaxed her to sit up, rolling her fingers around the tops of her red-hot ears with a giggle. “Don’t laugh at me,” she mumbled with a pout. 

       "I'm sorry," she giggled. "I'm just imagining you in a bag and it's-" She covered her mouth with her hand as she dipped her head in an attempt to hide her laughter. Nicole slumped back in her chair, pursing her lips at her mother. 

       "I'm telling that one at your guys' wedding," Wynonna sighed. 

       " _ WEDDING _ ?!" The rest of the table gawked. 

       The older Earp raised her eyebrows at all of them, blinking for a few seconds. "What? You people think that these fools _aren’t_ gonna get married?”

       “Not any time soon, Wynonna,” Nicole reminded. 

       “Coming from the girl who got married to a stranger in Vegas,” she muttered. 

       “ _ WHAT _ ?!” Sharon exclaimed. 

       Nicole turned her head towards the brunette with wide eyes, putting her hand up to shield her face as she mouthed “ _I’m gonna kill you_.” She looked over to her mother with a dimpled smile. “Hmm?” 

       “You were  _ married _ ?!” 

       “Mhm.” 

       “To a  _ man _ !?”    


       The Officer let out a loud snort, laugher leaving Wynonna, Waverly, and Jeremy’s mouth at the same time.

       “That was a good one, Haught Momma,” Wynonna applauded. 

       She looked towards them with her brows pulled tightly together. “A  _ woman _ ?” 

       “No, Shar, a traffic cone,” Ina groaned. 

       The other redhead stared at Nicole for a few seconds before slowly nodding. “Uh-huh.” She wiped her mouth off with her napkin before standing up. “A moment, please?” She said with a glare. 

       Nicole scooted her chair back and leaned towards the smaller girl, pressing a kiss to her temple. “ _ I’m in trouble _ ,” she whispered with a small smirk. Waverly smacked her arm as she stood up straight, shaking her head at her. The Officer made her way around the table and followed Sharon towards the door, pulling it closed behind her. 

       She made a move to stop on the porch, but Sharon pressed her hand into her back, forcing her to continue walking down closer to the cars. “Keep goin'.” She could hear her voice deep with the pent up anger she knew was about to be released on her. 

       “Mom,” she said with a nervous laugh. “I would have told you about Shae eventually, it just never came up.” 

       “No, Nicole,” she huffed. “I’m not mad that you _didn’t tell me about_ _Shae_.” 

       The Officer’s face grew confused as her arms fell limply to her sides. “Wh- Then what?” She asked softly.

  


**___**

  


       “I’m really not good at the whole  _ Haught Potato’s Mom is back _ thing,” Wynonna mumbled as they all watched the door close. 

       “You’re really not,” her sister replied, tossing a kernel of corn at her. Wynonna pursed her lips, chucking one back. Waverly shot her a challenging stare as she went to throw another. 

       “Quit,” Gus ordered. “Or you two are sweeping the floor tonight.” 

       "Noo," Wynonna whined. 

       "Then cut it out. Y'all weren't born in a barn." 

       Waverly and Wynonna slowly looked up at one another, slow grins creeping into their faces from being scolded. The younger one cleared her throat, biting the inside of her cheeks to keep a laugh down. Wynonna pulled her lips into her mouth, looking away from her. They calmed down after a second, continuing on with their meal. 

       After ten more minutes, everyone had finished up, yet the Haughts hadn't returned. Waverly and Wynonna cleared their plates, dropping them into the soapy dishwater Gus had started up.

       "Jeremy, Hun. Will you go check and see if those two out there are done? I want to start packing the leftovers up," Gus asked as he set his plate in right after the sisters. 

       "Aye, aye, Captain Gus!" He affirmed with a salute. 

       She smiled at the boy as he turned away. Wynonna cocked a confused eyebrow at him. "Why's he so weird?" She whispered to Waverly. 

       She scoffed, smacking her arm as she grabbed a cider out of the fridge. "He's sweet, Wyn." 

       "That doesn't make him _not_ weird," she mumbled. 

       "Wynonna, sweep the floor," Gus said from the sink. 

       "What?! Why?! I didn't throw anything else!"

       "How'd that hunk of chicken hit Mrs. Chetri in the head then?" She asked, turning to look at her. The brunette pursed her lips, sulking off to the closet where they kept the broom and dustpan. 

       Waverly took a drink out of her bottle before setting it down and pulling her sleeves up, joining Gus at the sink to start rinsing. The front door came open and Jeremy walked back in. “Uh, guys . . . We might have a  _ little _ problem . . .” 

       They all turned to look at him, stopping what they were doing. “What . . .?” Waverly asked slowly with furrowed brows. 

       “They’re gone.”


	59. I'm Sure I'll See You There

       “What do you mean  _ they’re gone _ ?” Ina asked, standing up and walking towards him. 

       “They’re gone,” he repeated. “Nicky’s cruiser and your car are gone.” 

       “ _ My _ car?” She pulled the door open, tracing her eyes across the driveway, confirming that her car was, in fact, gone. “Bitch took my damn car,” she mumbled to herself. 

       Waverly quickly walked over to them. “Did you see them leave?” She pulled her phone out of her pocket. 

       “No.”

       She let out a huff, hitting call on Nicole’s contact. She pushed the phone to her ear for about three seconds before spinning around. “ _ Shit _ .” Nicole’s broken phone was still sitting on the table. “She wouldn’t do that.” 

       “She wouldn’t do what?” Gus asked. 

       “She wouldn’t leave without telling anyone where she was going.” 

       “I think she just did, Babygirl,” Wynonna said quietly. 

       "Ok, well, I'm gonna go make sure she's ok," she said as she went to move past then. 

       "Woah, Waverly, wait," Jeremy said, placing his hands on her shoulders to stop her. "She probably wants some space. Whatever happened out there  _ most likely _ didn't end too pretty." 

       She thought about it for a second before shaking it off. "And I'll give her some after I make sure she's ok." She moved past him, grabbing her cost and purse from the hook by the door and pulling it closed behind her. 

       The room was quiet for a second as everyone took the events of the last two minutes in. Gus traced her eyes around the room, landing on Wynonna's face. She had always been a woman to trust her gut. "Go with her."

       "Why?"

       "Because you're her sister. Go with her."

       She went to object, but when her aunt raised her eyebrows at her, she quickly grabbed her coat and jogged out to get in the Jeep before Waverly pulled away. 

       Ina was next to move towards the door. “Jer, I’m taking your car.

       “What?! Why? Where are you going?” 

       “I’m going to go find Sharon before she ends up somewhere she shouldn’t.” And with that, Gus and Jeremy were left alone in the Homestead. 

       He turned to look at her, mouth hanging open slightly in confusion before he closed it, letting out a sigh. “. . . Do you want some help with those dishes?” 

 

       Wynonna yanked the door of the Jeep open, pulling herself in right as Waverly started to pull away. She slammed on the brakes, looking at her with wide eyes. “Wynonna!”

       “I’m coming with,” she informed, buckling herself up. 

       Waverly furrowed her brows at her as she pressed on the gas pedal again. “Why?” The older girl threw her a knowing look. “Gus?” She didn’t need an answer to know had what happened. 

       They made the drive into town, discussing what could have happened between the mother and daughter. “I don’t see why she’s so pissed about her and Shae, though. She said she was going to be fine with you two.”

       “She sure is,” she mumbled in a sarcastic tone. 

       Wynonna turned to look at her in question. “What?” 

       “Nothing,” she said, shaking her head. 

       “No, what, Wave?” She pushed. 

       The smaller girl glanced over at her quickly, pursing her lips. “She gets this look on her face anytime we touch each other. Like when we’re holding hands or if she’s got her arm around my waist or something . . . And I’m pretty sure she gags and looks away every time we kiss in front of her.” 

       Wynonna rolled her eyes. “ _ Asshole _ .” 

       “She’s nice and all. She’s got Nicole’s sense of humor. And maybe she  _ is _ trying, I don’t know. But every time she comes over, I feel like I can’t be myself around my own girlfriend.” 

       Her sister looked over at her with sad eyes, rubbing her leg. “Has Nicole noticed?” 

       “I brought it up last night before we went to bed. And she just shrugged it off, but I know deep down she has. She’s a cop, she has to’ve . . . But she just really wants her back and she doesn’t want anything to get in the way of it . . . That’s why I need to make sure she’s ok because if something really bad happened, I don’t know how she’s gonna handle it. She already lost her once.” 

       Wynonna rubbed her face and was about to say something, but Waverly pulled onto their street. And there was no cruiser sitting in front of the house. “Uhh . . .”

       “She’s . . .”

       “Not here.” Wynonna watched the nerves work on Waverly’s face. Her brows threaded tightly together and the side of her bottom lip got pulled in between her teeth. “Where the hell would she have gone?” 

       “We’re about to find out.” She did a quick u-turn in someone’s driveway and sped off in the direction they had just come from.

       Wynonna grabbed onto her arm, gripping the handle above the door with her other hand. “Hey! Chill out, Babygirl!” 

       She shook her hand off but slowed down a little bit, still taking the corners a little too sharp. They passed Shorty’s and Waverly scanned her eyes across the lot, but she didn’t see any cruisers there. She let out a huff, deciding on her last resort. 

       The brunette stopped in the station’s parking lot, quickly climbing out and rushing inside. She looked into her office, but the lights were off. She continued on, heading into the Sheriff’s office. “Nedley.” 

       He looked up at her, his brow furrowing at the concerned expression on her face. “What’s wrong?”

       “Has Nicole come by here in the last 30 minutes?” She asked, leaning forward onto the back of one of the chairs in front of his desk. 

       “No . . . Why?” 

       Waverly looked over at her sister worriedly. “We can’t find her,” Wynonna explained. 

       “What do you mean  _ you can’t find her _ ?”

      “She got into a fight with her mom and then took off. We don’t know where she went.”

       Nedley tutted, clicking around on his computer. He grabbed the radio off his shirt. “Haught, come in.” He waited a few seconds as he continued typing away, but the line stayed silent. “ _ Haught _ , come in.” He waited some more. “ _ Officer Haught,  _ answer your radio,  _ that’s an order _ .” 

       An eerie silence filled the room as they all waited with bated breath for  _ something _ . But nothing came. Waverly stood up straight, crossing her arms, covering her mouth with one of her hands. Nedley waved them over to his side of the desk, so they both walked around, looking down at his computer screen. There was a satellite image with a red point on it. “It says her cruiser is parked there. Is there any reason she’d be in the middle of nowhere?” 

       As Waverly leaned in, reading the roads around it and examining the buildings that were nearby, Wynonna cocked an eyebrow at him. “How do you know that?”

       “We have trackers on all of the cars. In case one gets stolen or a hostage situation comes about, things like that.” 

       “Well there goes my plan for April Fools Day next year,” she huffed. The Sheriff looked at her, blinking a few times. 

       Waverly gasped, grabbing her sister’s arm. “I know where she is. We’ve gotta go. Now.” She quickly began dragging her out of Nedley’s office. “Thanks, Sheriff!” 

       He watched their trail of dust dissipate, rubbing his hand up and down his face. He leaned back in his chair, looking up at the stained ceiling tiles as he lifted his radio once more. “They’re gone, Nicole.”

       He didn’t expect her to answer. He figured she had either turned her radio off that was on her person or that she was just ignoring him. But his ears perked right up at the fizz. “Leave me alone, Randy,” the hoarse voice called over. 

       He sat up, leaning his elbows onto his knees. “What’re you doing, Kid?” 

       “What I should have done earlier.”

       Nedley pursed his lips, sighing through his nose. “Be careful, ok? I don’t know what it’s like up there.” 

       “Mm.” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly skidded to a stop outside the garage, shoving the car in park and jumping out. Her cruiser was sitting in the driveway, but she wasn’t in it. She rushed up to the door, pushing it open and flicking the light on. 

       Her heart did a nosedive into the floor. 

       In the middle of the floor where the convertible usually sat was an empty space. Nicole was gone. And there was no way any of them could get a hold of her. “ _ Fuck _ !” She cried out, her voice echoing off of the metal walls. She turned to face her sister, who had just walked in. “Nonna . . .” 

       Her face softened up, seeing the tears threatening to pour out of her sister’s eyes. “I . . .” She was at a loss for words. If there was anything she had learned about Nicole in the time that they had known each other, it was that she was a fighter. She would fight through whatever was thrown at her. She wasn’t one to give up, even when everyone around her had. 

       But this time she ran. 

       She  _ ran _ . 

       Wynonna didn’t know if she was just going to be taking a drive to clear her head or if this was going to turn into something really ugly. 

       But it didn’t matter. 

       She left. Without telling anyone  _ anything _ . 

       And if there was a type of person that Wynonna hated more than anything, it was a selfish person. Some would say that she herself was selfish. But she couldn’t care less about what other people said about her. 

       But right now? 

       Nicole Haught was being a  _ selfish _ person. She  _ knew _ Waverly’s worst fear was people leaving her. And they didn’t know the circumstances of this. She  _ could _ return within an hour and everything would be fine. 

       But that wasn’t the point. 

       Because in this moment, her sister was  _ terrified _ . She could see it on her face. She was terrified of the worst: The slim possibility that she might  _ not _ come back. 

       It didn’t matter how many times that Nicole had said she would never  _ ever _ leave her. That fear was always in the back of her mind. And Wynonna knew this. She had gotten a handful of calls at three in the morning from her when she either one, couldn’t sleep because she kept thinking about it. Two, had a nightmare about it. Or three (Three had only happened once), had a mixture of one and two and now was a sobbing mess, having a panic attack on the floor of the bathroom. The redhead had been quite confused when her alarm for work went off at four and, while searching for the brunette that was not in bed, found the duo sitting in the bathroom curled up together as Wynonna tried to calm her down. 

       Wynonna knew that Nicole loved Waverly more than the air she breathed. And she knew that she’d never intentionally hurt her. So maybe she hadn’t been thinking straight when she decided this was what she wanted to do.

       But that didn’t mean she wasn’t pissed. 

       “C’mere.” She pulled her sister into a hug, squeezing her arms tightly around her as the gut-wrenching sobs tore through Waverly’s chest. Wynonna’s heart wrenched, for all she could do was hold her as her tears soaked through her shirt. “She’ll be back, Waves,” she whispered. “Give her time.” The younger girl shook her head, bringing her hands up to cover her face. Wynonna moved her hands to her shoulders, pushing her back. She pulled her hands away, cupping her cheeks. “She wouldn’t leave you, ok? Let her figure it out.” 

       “She j-just did.” More tears spilled out of her eyes as she looked up at her sister helplessly. 

       “No.” She shook her head. “She didn’t.” She wrapped her arm around the back of her shoulders, walking her towards the door. Wynonna got her into the passenger’s seat of the Jeep and climbed in the other side, pulling away from the garage. “Do you want to go back to the Homestead?” 

       Waverly wiped her face with a shaky hand. “No . . . Our house,” she mumbled, curling her knees up onto the seat. “That’s where she’ll go if she comes back.” Her voice broke at the end. 

       “ _ Ah _ .” She looked towards her with a sharp eye. “ _ When _ she comes back,” she corrected.

       A couple of stray tears fell down her cheeks. “But what if she doesn-”

       “ _ Waverly _ , she will.” 

       The brunette hugged her arms to her chest, turning sideways in her seat and staring out the window as they drove past the snow-covered fields. She cried silently the whole way back to their house. Wynonna helped her out of the car and walked her inside, sitting her down on the couch as she walked off to the bathroom to “pee”. 

       “Hello?” The voice on the other end answered.  

       “Hey, Gus. Do you guys got anything yet?” 

       “Jeremy is on the phone in the other room with his mom now, so I should know something any second now . . . What about you? Did you find Nicole?” 

       She let out a heavy sigh. “She ditched her cruiser for her Corvette, so now we have no idea where she is.” 

       “Lord,” Gus sighed, stress tugging at her voice. “How’s Waverly?” 

       “. . . Probably how you’d expect her to be.” She was quiet for a second. “Gus, if that asshole doesn’t come back, Waves is go-”

       “ _ Wynonna _ ,” she warned. “You know she would never do something like that.”

       She huffed. “Yea, well, I never expected her to do  _ this _ either.” 

       The older woman sighed. “She’s got-” She paused and Wynonna heard Jeremy’s voice in the background. 

       There was movement and it sounded like she got put on speaker. “Hey, Wynonna,” the man mumbled. 

       “Did she find Sharon?” 

       “Yea,” he confirmed. “And she told her what happened.” 

       “Did she tell you?” 

       “Why do you think I’m talking to you?” He questioned. 

       She pursed her lips, walking out of the bathroom. “Hold on a sec.” She pulled the phone away from her ear as she sat down next to Waverly. “Ina found Sharon, Babygirl . . . Do you wanna hear what happened?” 

       The brunette slowly nodded, pulling the blue blanket she had wrapped around herself closer to her face. Wynonna switched her phone to speaker, setting it on the back of the couch between them. “Ok, Chetri, go ahead.” 

 

**-  -  -**

 

       “Mom,” she said with a nervous laugh. “I would have told you about Shae eventually, it just never came up.” 

       “No, Nicole,” she huffed. “I’m not mad that you didn’t tell me about Shae.” 

       The Officer’s face grew confused as her arms fell limply to her sides. “Wh- Then what?” She asked softly.

       “What do you  _ think _ ?” 

       Her eyes traced confusedly over her face. “What, that I was stupid and got married in Vegas? Yea, I realize that, thank you. That’s Waves and I are  _ waiting _ because I know how big of a step that is now.” 

       Sharon crossed her arms, looking away from her and shaking her head. “I can’t believe you.”

       “What?! What did I do?!” 

       She snapped her head to meet her eyes. “You’re gonna  _ marry _ her!” 

       The Deputy’s head jerked backward, eyes shooting open in surprise. “I’m sorry, do you have a  _ problem _ with that?” 

       She swung her arms out. “ _ Of course _ I have a problem with it, Nicole! You’re not  _ marrying _ a woman!” 

       Her mouth fell open in utter confusion. “You told me you were going to be ok with us, what the hell do you mean I’m not marrying a woman?!” 

       “No, no- I said I was gonna try and be ok with you two  _ dating _ ,” she corrected. “ _ Marriage _ is a whole new rodeo.” 

       “Well, I’m  _ sorry _ , maybe you should have  _ clarified _ that, Mother!” She turned around, pushing her hands through her hair, quickly pivoting back towards her. “What? Did you think that we were going to just  _ date _ forever?” 

       “Well, I sure as Hell didn’t think you were going to try and marry her!” 

       “That’s the  _ stupidest _ thing I have ever heard,” she scoffed. “Why? Why would I want to be in a relationship without that as the goal?” 

       “Well, your kind of people shouldn’t be  _ allowed _ to get married for one. T-” 

       “Woah! _My_ _kind of people_?! Did you seriously just say that?!” 

       “What do you want me to call you?!  _ Gays _ ,  _ homosexuals _ ,  _ fa _ -”

       “ _ If you say that fucking word, I’ll arrest you for harassing a police officer _ ,” she warned, jaw clenching firmly as her face flushed with anger. 

       Sharon’s eyes widened and she took a step back from her. Her lip hitched as she stared into her eyes. “You  _ disgust _ me.” 

       “Oh, I hope I do.” Her voice was still low. 

       “You and Waverly both.” 

       “ _ Don’t _ you bring her into this,” she growled, closing the gap between them again. 

       “I’m taking your name off of my will if you marry that  _ skank _ .”

       Boiling hot tears began to roll down her cheeks as her body trembled with every drop of self-control. “ _ Get the fuck off of this property _ .” 

       “I hope you burn in Hell,” she spat. 

       Nicole sucked in a deep breath, lungs burning with emotion. “ _ I’m sure I’ll see you there,”  _ she quipped. “ _ Now go _ .  _ Before I make you. _ ” 

       As if  _ she _ hadn’t just told her child to go to Hell, she gasped in offense. Her face twitched with anger as she stormed past her, climbing into Ina’s white SUV and pulling away. 

 

**-  -  -**

 

       “My mom said she’s at the airport, getting on the first flight back to Dallas,” Jeremy ended quietly. 

       Waverly curled her fingers around Wynonna’s shirt, trying to lessen the sound of her sobs by pushing her face into her neck. The older girl wrapped her arms around her as she tried to keep her own emotions in check. “If that bitch comes near any of us again, Peacemaker and I are going to have a little talk with her,” she glowered. 

       “She used to be such a nice person. I would have never pictured her saying something like that. Especially not to Nicky . . . You guys still haven’t heard  _ anything _ from her?” 

       “No,” Wynonna sighed, pushing her fingers through her sister’s hair. “Do you have any idea where she would have gone? I know you guys are soul sisters or whatever.” 

       “Uhmm . . . No. No idea. Nope.” 

       Waverly lifted her head from Wynonna’s neck, narrowing her eyes at the phone as she picked it up. “Jeremy,” she warned with a sniff. “Where is she?” 

       “I don’t know,” he mumbled. 

       “Jeremy,” she repeated. “Don’t make me introduce your Pokemon cards to my paper shredder.” 

       “I- I can’t! I swore to her that I wouldn’t tell you guys. And I don’t even know for sure if that’s where she went, ok?!” 

       The sisters looked at each other in question. “ _ Jeremy _ ,” they both said at the same time. 

       “Ican’tI’msorry.” The line went dead.

       Waverly dropped the phone, pushing her face back into her neck with a whimper. “Nonna, I can’t do this.” 

       “Hey,” she said softly, turning her body so she could lean them back on the arm of the couch. “It’s ok . . .” She heard her sister’s breathing speed up to a jagged rate. She slipped her off of her lap, kneeling on the couch in front of her. “Wave, look at me.” She tipped her head up. “She’ll be back before you know it. And if she isn’t, then I’m gonna force it out of that Green Bean and haul her long-legged ass back here myself . . . But she’ll be back. I know it . . . Deep breath, Babygirl. It’s ok.” She cupped her cheeks, wiping her face as she pulled in a shaky deep breath, letting it out slowly. Wynonna got her to repeat the action for a few minutes until she calmed down. 

       The sun was set now, and a clouded darkness covering the sky at time ticked closer to 10 PM. Wynonna walked away from the window after shutting the light off and climbed back on the couch, pulling her sister back on her lap. “You need to try and get some sleep, Waves,” she mumbled, drowsiness pulling on her voice from her draining day of Revenant hunting. 

       “No.” 

       “You do. You’re exhausted.” 

       Waverly knew she was. She had bussed tables all day at Shorty’s and barely had time to change before heading to the Homestead. And now all of this? “No.” 

       “Wave,” she said, almost in a begging tone. “She’s not going to come any faster with you watching the door, you know that.” 

       She watched as tears gathered in the brunette’s eyes and she let out a sad sigh, pulling her head to her chest. 

       She could tell it was going to be a long night. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Wynonna held the orange cup under the tap, eyes threatening to close as she watched it fill up. The retch from the other room brought her back to alertness, along with the water overflowing onto her hand. She turned the faucet off, walking to the bathroom and handing Waverly the cup, just as quickly walking back out. 

       The baby had a thing for not liking anything to do with vomit. She had learned that an hour ago. 

       She almost dozed off again, leaning against the wall, but Waverly walking out woke her up again. “You ok?” She asked the blotchy faced girl, who wiped her nose with her sleeve. 

       “Mm.” She wandered back to the living room, sitting down on the couch and pulling her knees to her chest. She looked at the door with nothingness filling her eyes. Wynonna grabbed the blanket that was in a pile at the end of the couch and set the throw pillow at the end up to rest against the arm. She wrapped her fingers around her sister’s ankles and pulled her feet out, pressing down on her shoulders to get her to lie down. “Noo,” she whined, going to sit back up. 

       “Mm-mm, lay down.” She tossed the blanket over her, tucking it in around her body and giving it a pretty fold at the top. She sat down on the floor in front of her, picking her phone up off of the table. “It’s _ 4 in the morning _ , Wave. _Please_? Just try for me?” 

       It wasn’t just that she was tired and wanted to get some sleep herself. In fact, that was the least of her worries. Yea, maybe her body had other ideas, but she would stay up for a week straight if she had to. 

       She just couldn’t watch her cry anymore. She got that she was scared, but god damn. She was sure she was about to shrivel up from dehydration at this point. 

       And how she hadn’t managed to pass out from overexertion, she didn’t know. 

       Cause when that girl sobbed, she sobbed  _ hard _ . 

       Any other person might think that Waverly was being a little over-dramatic about the whole ordeal. But if your biggest fear was water and you accidentally fell in the deep end of a swimming pool, you’d _probably_ be freaking your ass off, even though anyone else would be able to shake it off and climb out with a laugh. And _this_ _exact_ situation was _her_ biggest fear. 

       But could you blame her?

       Name one person she loved that  _ didn’t _ leave for one reason or another. 

       Ward, Michelle, Curtis, Wynonna for a little. Hell, you could throw Champ in there if you wanted to get deep with it. 

       “But-”

       “Shhh.” She brushed her hand through her hair. “Ima tell you a story. You ready?” 

       “Nonna,” she said in a quiet complaint. 

       Wynonna cleared her throat, looking down at her phone to read the story she had pulled up. “ _ Once upon a time, _ there was a bunny rabbit named Smiley. Smiley had big teeth, long ears and a little cotton-ball tail. The reason she was named Smiley is because she loved to smile. Every day, Smiley would go hopping through the fields, eating clover. She was very quiet, but if her motions made a sound, they would sound something like hippety-hoppety, hippety-hoppety, hippety-hoppety, and so on, all the day long. This made Smiley smile, to think about how her motions might sound if they did in fact make a sound.” 

       She looked up at her sister’s annoyed, yet bored,  _ some would even say sleepy _ expression. “One day, Smiley found a clover field she had never seen before. Something seemed different about this field. Smiley entered the field slowly, cautiously, sniffing around here and there, hither and yon, near and far, back and forth, side to side. She wondered if the field was magic or enchanted or something like that. But no, it was just an ordinary field. However, this got Smiley to thinking. Maybe there was a magic or otherwise enchanted field somewhere. There must be. She talked to her bunny rabbit friends, actually, wiggled her nose at them since bunny rabbits can’t talk, and they all agreed that there must be a magic or otherwise enchanted field.  Smiley was determined to find it. So she set off early the next morning, wearing only the aforementioned smile, plus her bunny hair, teeth, tail, ears and whatnot, and tried to find the magic or otherwise enchanted field.”

       She glanced up again, grinning with relief as she saw her  _ Boring Bedtime Story _ was working. The smaller girl’s eyelids appeared to be becoming heavier by the second. “Instead of hopping along the so-called bunny trail, Smiley hopped along any trails she happened to find, including but not limited to deer trails, goat trails, sheep trails, snail trails, walrus trails, people trails, hippopotamus trails, cow trails, pig trails, dog trails, elk trails, llama trails, alpaca trails, did I mention goat trails already, kangaroo trails, and so on. But Smiley didn’t find any magic or otherwise enchanted fields. She was starting to wonder if there really was a magic or otherwise enchanted field, or if this was just a story she had read once upon a time. She was getting tired of this quest. “It’s hopeless,” Smiley thought.” 

       “She decided she would take one more trail, and if it didn’t lead to the magic or otherwise enchanted field, she would give up. That would be so embarrassing to admit to her friends that her quest had been for nothing. Smiley sure hoped this last trail would lead to the magic or otherwise enchanted field. Smiley hopped down the next trail. She could tell it was a sheep trail because there was a big sign written in a language that only sheep could understand saying “Sheep Trail.” Smiley briefly wondered how she could read the sign if in fact it was written in a language that only sheep could understand, but she wasn’t the kind of rabbit who wastes time pondering imponderables. For example, she had never spent much time calculating how many angels could hop on the head of a pin, or the median amount of wood the average woodchuck would chuck.” 

       Wynonna looked up once more, seeing her eyes closed. She smiled, continuing on, more for the fact that this story was probably the stupidest thing she had ever read and she wanted to see how it ended. “Anyhoo, Smiley hopped down the sheep trail, until finally she came to a big white fence. She didn’t see any sheep, but she could tell they had been there because there were fluffy white clumps of wool here and there on top of the fence. The wool smelled just like sleep. Hoppy, or whatever her name was, laid down for a minute because she was tired from a long day of hopping down the non-bunny trails. She closed her eyes and imagined what it would be like to watch all those sheep jumping over the fence. She could see them in her mind’s eye. She started counting them: one, two, three, one, two, three. Hoppy could only count to three, so she kept having to start over: one, two, three, one, two, three. It was easier that way, Hoppy rationalized, not having so many numbers. Hoppy yawned. She wondered if she would ever find the enchanted waterfall. It didn’t matter. Look at all the-” 

       The darker brunette stopped abruptly at the sound of the front door slowly opening behind her. She snapped her head around, hand coming to rest on the butt-end of Peacemaker. 

       And if her eyes weren’t already wide enough, the sight of a familiar Officer easing herself into the house made them pop out of her head. 

       She jumped to her feet, and Nicole’s eyes shot towards her, going just as wide as the pair staring at her. “Wynonna, what’re yo-” 

       “Shh!” She rounded the coffee table, marching silently towards her as her body was halfway-in-halfway-out of the house. “I  _ just  _ got her to go to sleep not even  _ five  _ minutes ago! Don’t you fucking wake her up!” 

       “Why was she still awake?” She asked in a confused whisper.

       “Hmm, I don’t know. Maybe cause  _ you left and she was terrified because she’s Waverly _ !” 

       Nicole looked out the half-open door, quickly back to the older Earp with pursed lips. “I . . . She . . .” She sighed, rubbing her tired eyes with her hand. “Can we not do this right now?” 

       “No! Where the hell were you?! You scared the  _ shit _ out of all of us!” She shoved her right shoulder. 

       “Wynonna,” she complained, looking out the door again.

       She grabbed the door handle, pulling it completely open. “What are you  _ looking _ a-” Her voice stuck in her throat as her face paled.  

       “D-Doc?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credits for the story Wynonna read: Smiley the Bunny by Earl Vickers from Boring Bedtime Stories — An Anthology for Insomniacs
> 
>  
> 
> Prolly mistakes, couldn't proofread that well before I had to leave for class.


	60. That's Illegal, Ya Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What the heck happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. 
> 
> It's been a second, guys. 
> 
> BUT. 
> 
> Since it IS my birthday, I decided that I would give a gift to you guys!  
> And it is this chapter. 
> 
> Sorry this took so long. I wrote the whole thing about 4 different times and didn't like it, but I think I have finally got one I can deal with. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this. 
> 
> The time jumps shouldn't be too confusing, I hope.

       The man standing at the edge of the porch removed his hat, looking up at her with the slightest bit of fear in his eyes. Wynonna continued to blink at him in shock, but her eyes slowly narrowed. "You left." 

       ". . . And now I'm back." 

       She slowly looked towards Nicole. "Why?" 

       "Later, ok? I'm going to bed." She moved past Wynonna, walking into the house. Doc slowly followed, closing the front door as Wynonna's eyes pierced through his skull. 

       The redhead gently pulled the blanket off of Waverly and lifted her up bridal style, carrying her off to the bedroom. 

       Wynonna snatched up the blanket and plopped herself down on the recliner, kicking the feet out, not giving another look towards the man. He sighed, taking Waverly's spot on the couch and laying his hat over his eyes. 

       Nicole laid her down on the bed and quietly changed out of her uniform. She crawled up next to her, trying her best to prevent waking her up. 

       But her heart stopped when she felt her moving.

       She watched the back of her head with wide eyes as she continued to shift, finally flipping over to face her. Waverly's eyes were barely open, but they quickly blinked open at her. She stared at her in confusion and shock wrapped up together as her half-asleep brain tried to process what was going on. "Cole?" 

       Nicole gave her a half-smile as she turned to her side. "Hey, Baby," she whispered, cupping her cheek.

       The brunette stared at her for a long couple of seconds, brows furrowing tighter and tighter together. The Officer grew worried as she watched thoughts rack over in her head. Waverly finally let out a relieved breath, scooting closer to her and pushing her head into her front as she wrapped her arm tightly around her. “I’ll be mad at you tomorrow,” she mumbled, body relaxing at the touch of her hand on her waist. 

       Nicole rolled them so she was on her back and pulled the blankets up more, wrapping her arms loosely around her body. “I love you.”

       “Don’t push it.” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole’s eyes fluttered open from the sun’s light spraying into their room. She groaned a little, trying to move her legs from their uncomfortable curled up position underneath her. She rubbed her eyes, hearing the soft breathing coming from the girl laying on top of her. 

       But they suddenly bulged out of her head when she felt a searing pain shooting through her right calf. She jerked around, twisting out from underneath her girlfriend. “AAHH FUCK!” She rolled around, trying to bend her leg up. 

       Waverly startled awake, sitting up abruptly. “ _ What _ ?!? Nicole, what the hell is wrong with you?!” She tried to grab onto the cursing redhead as she clutched her knee to her chest, still spazzing around on the bed. “NICOLE!” 

       “CHARLEY- AHHOWW SHIT- HORSE!” 

       Waverly pinned her down by the shoulders. “Quit fucking moving,  _ STOP _ !” 

       She looked up at her as her face contorted with pain. “IT FUCKING HURTS!” 

       “YEA, NO SHIT!” 

       She squished her eyes together with a grimace. “Stand-  _ motherAHH _ \- Stand me up.” Waverly pulled her to the edge of the bed, yanking her to a sitting position. She stood and got Nicole to her feet, wrapping an arm around her waist. Nicole groaned and winced as she tried to take a couple of steps, walking on her heel. “ _ FUCK _ !” She fell forward onto the hardwood, bringing her knee to her chest again, gripping her calf. 

       Waverly dropped down beside her, grabbing onto her ankle. “Give me your leg,” she ordered. Nicole complied, trying to keep her squirms to a minimum as her muscle twitched around, sending excruciating jolts up her leg. The brunette propped her leg on her lap, clamping her hands around the muscle. Her eyes widened as she watched it pulse around from above the skin. She began to squeeze her fingers into it, trying to massage some of the tension down. 

       “ _JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH_!!!” Her body jerked around for a minute or so as the cramp slowly faded away, muscle finally relaxing. The redhead let out a sigh of relief, removing her fingers from where they were attached to the sides of her thigh. 

       “Better?” Waverly asked, looking down at her face.

       She nodded, staring up at the ceiling. 

       “What in the  _ blazes _ is going on in here?” Doc asked with concern from the doorway, rubbing the sleep out of his left eye. 

       Nicole rolled her head to look at him from her position on the floor. “Leg cramp,” she said with a sorry smile, knowing she had probably just waken up all of the late sleepers of Purgatory. She sat up, looking over at her girlfriend, who was staring at John Henry with her jaw on the floor. 

       “ _ DOC _ ?!” She screeched. Her head snapped towards Nicole, and she pointed at the door. “DOC!” 

       Nicole took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I know, Sweetheart. I brought him here.” 

       She snatched her hand back, standing up. “ _ What _ ?” 

       Nicole stood up with a sigh, using her shoulder for support as she tested out her leg again. When it proved to be working fine, she let go. “Doc, go smack Wynonna with a pillow or something to get her up and moving. We’re all going to the Homestead.”

       “Why?” They both asked at the same time. 

       “Don’t you want me to explain everything?” She questioned. 

       Waverly slowly gave her a nod and Doc walked off to wake the beast. Nicole closed the door and went over to their closet, pulling a white and grey hoodie and some grey joggers out. She pulled them on and tugged a black and white Ranger’s beanie on her head. She turned around, stopping when she saw Waverly staring at her, a hint of something in her eyes that was somewhat unsettling. “Wave?” She walked over to her, looking down at her with a furrowed brow. The younger one moved her hands to upper arms, running her hands up and down them a few times before sliding them up and fixing the fold on the beanie. She moved them down to her cheeks, rubbing them with her thumbs. Nicole placed her hands over her’s, pushing their foreheads together as she finally deciphered the look in her eyes as fear. “I’m right here, Baby,” she whispered, quiet enough that if she hadn’t been that close to her, she wouldn’t have heard it. "I'm not going anywhere, ok?" 

       She let out a whimper, pulling away from her. "But you  _ did _ , Nicole." 

       "I know, Wave. I'm sorry."

       "Sorry doesn’t always  _ fix _ everything!”

       “Baby-”

       “You  _ know _ I can’t handle that type of shit,  _ especially _ not twice in one day! I get that yesterday was really fucking horrible. And I would have given you space if you asked for it. But you just left! I didn't know where you went! And-" Her voice broke as tears filled her eyes. "And it would have been fine if you just would have answered Nedley cause I know you heard him, b-but you didn't a-and . . .” Her voice broke completely, dropping it to a whisper. “I thought you were  _ g-gone _ , Cole."

       Nicole’s face softened as she took a step towards her, wiping her cheeks. “Don’t cry,” she mumbled. “I hate when you cry.” 

       She flicked her hands off of her. “Don’t  _ touch  _ me.” 

       “ _ Waverly." _

       “You  _ left _ !”

       “But I came back, didn’t I?” Her voice was slowly gaining an edge. “I was gone for  _ 10 hours _ . That’s it.”

       “That’s a long time!” 

       She raised her arms in front of her, palms up. “Do you even  _ know _ what happened yesterday?”

       “Yes, I know!” 

       “How?”    


       “She told Ina, Ina told Jeremy, and Jeremy told me and Wynonna.” 

       She nodded her head, frustration tugging at her lips. “Yet you  _ still _ think I had no right to leave? I didn’t realize I wasn’t allowed to try and cope with  _ my mother leaving me for the fourth fucking time _ !”

       The brunette’s tears started to fall at a heavier rate. She took a step closer to her. “I don’t  _ care _ that you left like that! All I wanted was a  _ fucking _ call, Nicole, what don’t you  _ understand _ ?!” She began to hit the sides of her fists against her chest to punctuate every sentence. “All I wanted was to know that you were  _ ok _ ! And that you weren’t going to do something  _ stupid _ ! A-And that you were gonna  _ come b-back  _ . . .” She trailed on, blubbering things and shaking her head with her eyes closed. Her words soon morphed into incoherent sobs. 

       Nicole grabbed onto her wrists to still their movements, but the brunette pushed against them. “Waves,” she said softly, using more force to hold them steady. “It’s ok, stop it.”  The smaller girl moved her arms to clutch to her front and Nicole let them go, wrapping her arms tightly around her shaking body. “I know I should have told you. And I’m so sorry I didn’t.” 

       Waverly moved her arms, squeezing them around her middle as she tried to calm herself down. 

       "I'm sorry,” she sniffed after a minute or two. 

       "You didn't do anything.”

       "I'm too needy.” 

       The Officer pulled back, cupping her cheeks as she wiped her tears some more. "You're not." She leaned in, kissing her slightly pouted lips. “Everything’s ok, alright?”

       Waverly slowly nodded, letting out a breath. “Ok.”

       The redhead smiled, giving her one more peck. “Get dressed. I’m going to make sure Wynonna didn’t kill him yet.” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole pulled the Corvette into the Homestead driveway and Doc and Wynonna came in right behind them. They all got out and walked inside. Gus was standing in the kitchen, reading a newspaper and sipping on her coffee. She looked up at the sound of the door, the cup stopping halfway to her mouth. She slowly set the two items down as they all walked over, the two she had been glaring at following a little slower than the rest. She pushed off the counter, crossing her arms. 

       Doc removed his hat. “Mrs. McCready.” 

       “ _ Don’t _ you start, Boy.” Her eyes flicked between them. Nicole gave her a nervous smile. "Would either of my nieces or the ones who leave my nieces like some coffee?" They all gave her a slow nod or a mumbled yes. She poured four mugs and set them on the table as they all sat down. "So . . . Who's gonna start?" 

       Nicole wrapped the strings of her hoodie around her pointer fingers as she leaned her elbows on the table. "Uhm . . . This all actually started last month . . ."

 

-  -  -

 

       “She just laid in bed all day,” Waverly mumbled, running her fingers down the two scars on her hand, a habit she had picked up, as she leaned her head back onto her shoulder. 

       “Really?” She asked, handing her the tumbler of Bailey’s spiked hot chocolate. 

       She took a drink. “Yea . . . I’ve never seen her like this before, Nic.” Her voice trembled a little.

       The redhead let out a sigh as she looked out at the sunset in front of them, hugging the blanket tighter around them. “He’ll come back, Wave.” 

       “But we don’t  _ know _ that.”

       “He will,” she whispered, pressing a kiss into her temple. “I’ll make sure of it.” She took a drink, swishing the liquid around in her mouth as she got to thinking. Thinking of how she would make that last sentence true. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The next morning, Nicole strolled into work, chowing down on one of Waverly’s homemade "sausage McMuffins" that she had definitely eaten too many of in the past few weeks. She walked back to the breakroom and poured herself some coffee, finishing up the last of her food as she stopped at Nedley’s open door. “Sir?” 

       He looked up, giving her a tired smile. “Morning, Haught.” She walked into his office and closed the door behind her, scooting one of the chairs up to sit right in front of his desk. “Is everything alright?” 

       “I need you to send out an APB,” she said bluntly. 

       The Sheriff furrowed his brow. “On who?” 

       “Doc.” 

       “. . . He’s not missing, Nicole,” Nedley reminded quietly. 

       “We don’t know where he is. That makes him missing.”    


       He pursed his lips. “I can’t send an APB out on Doc Holliday.” 

       “Nedley. Wynonna is literally flipping her-”

       “ _ No _ . I can’t send an APB out on  _ Doc Holliday _ ,” he emphasized. 

       She saw the look on his face and understood what he was implying. Maybe it  _ wouldn’t _ be a good idea to tell all of the police in the surrounding area to look for a guy that was supposed to have been dead 100 years ago. “Ok. Send one out on a John Doe with his description, I don’t care how you do it. I just . . . really need you to. Please, Sheriff?” 

       He let out a heavy sigh as he turned towards his computer, grabbing his mouse. “This stays in this room. Understood?” He looked towards her with raised eyebrows as he waited for her answer.

       A small smile brushed her lips. “Yes, Sir.” She stood up and walked towards the door, giving him a nod as she walked out. 

       The first step of her plan to get him back was complete. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Two weeks later, Nicole found herself outside of the Homestead, banging on the door at 8 AM. She pulled her hood over her head to shield it from the wind as she hit the side of her fist against the door for the third time. “Wynonna, open up!” She shouted.    


       After another minute, she let out a loud groan of annoyance as she dug her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door with the emergency key Waverly had given her. She quickly closed it, rubbing the cold off of her hands. “Wynonna!” No answer. 

       She traced her eyes carefully around the surrounding rooms, seeing no sign of the older Earp or Gus. Her brow furrowed as she climbed the steps, knocking on her bedroom door. “Earp, you better not be sleeping.” She cracked it open, sticking her head in. 

       And sure enough. The snores echoed off the wall, proving she was out cold. Nicole huffed, walking over to her bed and smacking her with the stuffed whiskey bottle toy that was sitting on her nightstand. “Wake  _ up _ .” 

       The brunette startled awake, shooting straight up. “It wasn’t my idea!” She defended groggily as she snapped her eyes about the room, finally landing on Nicole’s confused, yet annoyed face. She reached up and rubbed them, bringing herself out of dreamland. “What the shit, Haught Cakes?” She grumbled. 

       Nicole set the toy back down. “What by  _ be ready by 8 _ did you not understand!? Your appointment is in 30 minutes, let’s go.” She grabbed her wrist, pulling her to get off the bed. 

       Wynonna tugged her arm back, crawling back under her blankets. “I’m not going.”

       “What do you mean you’re not going?” She questioned, tipping her head at her. 

       “Uh, I mean that my butt is staying right here in this bed so I can go back to sleep,” she informed, flipping over. 

       “You can’t just  _ not _ go.”

       “Watch me.” 

       “No,” she huffed. “I am really not in the mood for stubborn asshole Wynonna today.” She grabbed the blanket and pulled it off of her. “I’ll buy you breakfast after, c’mon.” 

       Wynonna’s ears perked up and she slowly rolled over. “. . . Promise?”

       The redhead rolled her eyes as she stuck her pinky out, locking it with the brunette’s.

 

       The nurse tied a tourniquet around Wynonna’s arm and cleaned a spot so she could draw her blood for some standard testing. Nicole’s foot tapped as she watched her stick the needle in to fill up the vial. After it was done, she capped it and pulled the needle out of her arm. “All done!” She said with a smile. “You’re doctor should be in in a bit, hang tight!” She gathered her supplies and turned, shooting Nicole a flirtatious wink with a smirk as she walked out the door. 

       “Hey, I’m gonna run to the bathroom, alright?” The redhead said to Wynonna. 

       “Mk, don’t fall in.” 

       Nicole threw her a look as she walked out of the room. She shook her hands out, letting out a slow breath through her mouth as she slowly followed behind the blonde nurse, hanging a right as she did so. She checked behind her, seeing that the short corridor was empty and that there were no cameras anywhere. 

       She took a couple of larger steps to catch up to her before grabbing onto her the crook of her elbow, keeping her from walking forward. The nurse quickly inhaled, jerking around to look at her. Her face relaxed as she recognized the redhead and she smirked, grabbing onto the front of her hoodie. 

       Nicole pulled her hands off, taking a step back. “I’m gonna need that vial,” she informed with a tight-lipped smile. 

       The woman’s brow furrowed in confusion. “. . . Do you just expect me to  _ give _ it to you?” 

       Nicole rocked on the balls of her feet. “Yea, kinda,” she admitted. 

       She took a step towards her as her smirk widened. “That’s  _ illegal _ , ya know . . . I’m not just going to  _ hand it over _ . . .  _ for free _ .” 

       The redhead let out a small laugh as straightened her posture a bit, taking another step away from her. “ _ Yea _ , I  _ think _ you are.” 

       The blonde stared at her for a second and Nicole was trying to figure out what her deal was.    


       But she learned. Very,  _ very _ quickly. 

       It took her a second to realize that the woman’s lips had crashed into her’s. She caught her balance by gripping her hips and then shoved her back, eyes wide with horror. Her brain quickly comprehended it and a rush of anger stormed through her body. Her lip hitched into a snarl and she shot towards her, grabbing her by the upper arm and twisting her around, shoving her front against the wall as she slid her hand down and pinned her wrist behind her back, using the other to smack the badge that was in her pocket in front of her face. The nurse's eyes widened as she let out a startled gasp.

       “Here’s what’s gonna happen,” Nicole started in her drawl, the snarl still dusting her features. “You’re gonna give me that vial.  _ Then _ , you’re gonna wait five minutes and go back, telling her that you made a mistake and were supposed to have taken two. After that, you’re going to carry on with your life, acting like this never happened. And if you tell  _ anyone _ , I’ll arrest you and tell my girlfriend that you jumped me in a hallway and she’ll  _ most likely _ beat your skull in.” She put her badge back and held her hand out.

       The Officer felt her take in a deep breath as her back rose against her front. A slightly disturbed, but not  _ quite _ scared look came over her face as she set the tube in her hand. Nicole let her go and stepped back, chest heaving with anger. 

       The nurse glared at her as she pushed away from the wall. “Fuckin’ flatfoot,” she grumbled under her breath, stomping off in the other direction. 

       Nicole turned and made a b-line for the one-roomed bathroom, locking the door behind her and rushing right to the sink. She groaned as she turned the water on, pumping eight squirts of soap in her hands and scrubbing them like she had just touched something toxic. She rinsed them off, splashing water on her mouth and face, rubbing it until the area around it turned red. Grabbing some paper towels, she dried her hands off, pacing back and forth as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and hopped up onto the sink counter, pushing it to her ear. 

       “Hey, Babe, what’s up?” Waverly answered after a few seconds.

       Her eyes closed as she chewed on the nail of her thumb. “Hey, Wave.” 

       “What’s wrong?” She asked softly with concern.

       “Nothing . . .” Her voice dropped to an almost-childish mumbled. “I love you.”

       “Yea, I love you, too, Nic . . . What’s going on? Are you ok?”

       “I just wanted to make sure you knew,” she shrugged lightly. “Cause you’re my Wavey and I love you.”

       “You wanted to make sure I knew you loved me cause I’m your Wavey and you love me?” She questioned with a chuckle. 

       “Mhm.” 

       “. . . Are you sure you’re ok, Baby?” 

       “I’m ok,” she assured. 

       “Ok. If you say so . . . I need to get this project done before work, Nic, I’m sorry. I’ll see you later, ok?” 

       “It's ok . . . See you later,” Nicole responded quietly. 

       “Mk, bye, Love. Call me if you need me.” 

       “Bye, Waves. I will.” 

       The line went dead and she let out a heavy sigh, dropping her hands to her lap. She felt a little bit better now. She hopped off the counter and walked out of the bathroom, heading back to Wynonna’s room. 

 

       After she followed through and bought her some breakfast, she dropped her off back at the Homestead and drove to the other side of town. 

       “Hey, Nicky,” Jeremy smiled after he opened his front door. 

       “Hey.” She walked in and leaned against the back of his couch. 

       “You look tired,” he mused, stopping in front of her. 

       She blinked at him annoyedly. “After getting home from a 12-hour shift at 4 in the morning and then having to wake up at 7, I’d expect one to be.” 

       He made a face in disgust of the thought of that. “. . . I’m going to assume you’re not here for a normal friendly visit considering that we facetimed for 4 hours yesterday and any possible tea that we could have spilled has already been.” 

       “That was four hours?” She asked quietly in disbelief. He slowly nodded. “Damn.” She flipped backwards, laying down on the couch. He walked around and slumped down on the other side. 

       “What’s up?” 

       “So . . .  _ Theoretically _ . . . If you were to be given a blood sample from a  _ pregnant  _ woman, would you be able to find the baby’s DNA in it?” 

       He stared at her for a good four seconds. “ _ Theoretically _ , yes.”  

       She nodded. “And, uh . . . Still. _Theoretically_. If you were given a . . . _potential_ _father’s toothbrush_ , would you be able to, ya know . . . get the DNA off of it and run it against it?” 

       His eyes widened. “ _ Nicole _ -”

       “ _ Jeremy _ ,” she cut off. “We are being theoretical here, remember?” 

       “ _ No you’re not _ !” 

       She pursed her lips. “Please?” 

       “That’s _illegal_!” He retorted.

       “Jer,” she whined. “Do you know what kind of bullshit I went through to get this?!” She pulled the vial out of her pocket. 

       “ _ NICOLE _ !!”

       She smacked his leg. “Quit looking at me like that!” 

       His eyes were bugging out of his head as his jaw was falling through the Earth’s crust. “You  _ stole _ her blood!” 

       “I  _ know _ I did!” 

       The man was at a loss for words for a few seconds. His eyes darted between the vial and her face as he slowly calmed down, trying to decide what to do. “I hate you,” he muttered as he stood up and walked over to his basement door. 

       She got up and followed, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and pushing an annoying kiss to the side of his cheek. “Wuv you, Jer Bear.” 

 

       The redhead pushed their door open, seeing Waverly sitting on the couch with her headphones on and a stack of papers in her hand that she was reading through. She slipped her slides off, walking over to the couch and dropping her head onto her lap. She inhaled deeply, balling her shirt up in her hand.

       The smaller girl placed her hand on her head, gently combing her fingers through her hair. The Deputy was pleasantly surprised _and_ thankful that she hadn’t snapped at her for it because she usually wasn’t allowed within a 3-foot vicinity of her. 

       She tugged the blanket that was sitting on the arm of the couch off, pulling it around herself as she closed her eyes, focusing on the faint sound of music coming through her headphones and the way her nails gently grazed her scalp. 

       But she just couldn’t tear her thoughts away from the feeling of another woman’s lips on her’s. It was one of the most disgusting, unsettling feelings she had ever experienced. Just the  _ thought _ of kissing anyone but Waverly sent a ripple of fear through her. But now that she was  _ reliving _ it  _ actually happening _ over and over in her head? A hard shiver traveled through her body that made her sick to her stomach. 

       Waverly must have felt the way her body stiffened because she moved the papers that she had been reading over her head, now noticing the way her jaw was clenched and how hard her eyes were scrunched together. “Nic?” She brushed some hair out of her face. Nicole looked up at her sadly. “What is it, Honey?” The Officer shook her head, tugging the blanket up to cover half her face as she closed her eyes again. Waverly furrowed her brows in concern. "Hey." She pushed another red lock behind her ear. 

       Nicole's jaw locked. "A girl kissed me," she mumbled just above a whisper.

       Waverly's hand stilled in her hair. She wasn't sure if she had heard what she thought she had just heard. "Did you just say-" 

       "Mhm."

       Her eyes widened down at her. "Who the  _ fuck- _ "

       "One of the nurses at Wy's appointment."

       The brunette shoved her head off her lap, jumping up off the couch and looking down at her with bulging eyes. Nicole sat up, pulling her knees up to her chest. Waverly stared at her with a questioning eye. "So she just . . .  _ kissed _ you? For no reason whatsoever?" 

       "Well . . .-" 

       " _ Well _ ? What do you mean  _ well _ ?" 

       Nicole stood up, stepping towards her quickly. "No, not like that, Wave. I was talking to her and she jumped at me."

       The brunette cocked her head. " _ Talking _ or  _ flirting _ ? Cause sometimes I feel like you can't tell the difference."

       "Oh, Waverly, come on," she huffed in offense. "You  _ know _ I wouldn't cheat on you." 

       "Yea, well, I didn't think Champ would try and  _ rape _ me either, but look how that turned out." The words were out of her mouth before she even realized it. Her eyes widened, mouth falling open as she watched the look of hurt smack Nicole across the face. “Nic, I didn’t mea-” 

       The redhead pushed passed her, shaking her head. “I’m glad that’s how you see me, Waverly.” 

       She quickly spun and grabbed her arm. “No, Baby, I’m sorry-”

       The Officer whipped around, cupping her hands gently around the sides of her neck as she looked deeply into her eyes. The brunette let out a small squeak, for she was startled from the sudden action, but her heart eased as she looked right back into her eyes. “Do you realize how much I fucking _love_ you, Waverly Earp?” She asked, voice breaking with emotion. “ _So_ _fucking much_. So when I tell you that I was _terrified_ when she kissed me, I mean it. Because the thought of being with _anyone else_ but _you_ scares the _ever-living shit_ out of me . . . But if you want to be mad at me, be my guest.”

       She traced her eyes over Waverly’s face, looking for any sign of an answer. 

       But this time when she felt lips crash into her’s, she wasn’t fearful. She relaxed into it, shoulders dropping with the release of tension. The smaller girl backed her quickly to the wall, already ripping her hoodie off and tangling her hands in her hair. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Don’t get her started on the Astros,” Sharon chuckled. 

       “Hey!” Nicole snapped. “We do not speak of them in this house!” 

       She put her hands up, holding back a laugh. “Sor-ry.” 

       Waverly blinked a few times, sitting up off of her lap as she felt her phone ringing in her pocket. The redhead pulled it out, pressing it to her ear. “Hey, Sheriff,” she answered. 

       “Haught. I just got a call from up North . . . There was a hit on the APB.” 

       She stood up off of the couch abruptly. “When?” 

       “About 5 minutes ago. From the people up in Alberta Beach.” 

       She nodded along as he explained it a little more, heart thumping in her chest at a million miles an hour. It had been a hot minute since she had heard anything about it and she was starting to think that he might have fled down to the US. “Yea . . . I’m on my way.” 

 

       Nicole pulled into the station’s parking lot at the same time as Jeremy. They stepped out of their cars, sharing a quick glance as they walked in, heading towards Nedley’s office. He was standing with a phone to his ear, facing the wall as he talked. He turned after a few seconds. “Jeremy, how good are you with computers?” 

       He let out a small chuckle. “I know a thing or two about the ol’ thinking machine.” Nicole smacked his arm, shooting him an annoyed glare. He widened his eyes, looking back to her boss. “Uh, yea. I’m good with them,” he quickly nodded. 

       Nedley moved around to his computer and let him sit down in front of it. “The Sheriff says that they sent a security camera’s feed to this, but I don’t know how . . . that works.” 

       The man nodded as he clicked around for several seconds. Not only had Jeremy helped with the paternity test, but after they found out the answer, he had taken it into his own hands to work on finding him (with a little help from BBD Headquarters). But even they had been coming up empty. “Here we go.” A box showed up on the screen, live footage of a cabin-looking structure front and center with the beach in the background. 

       “He says this is live from the cabin they think he is staying in,” Nedley informed. 

       “How did the police there find out about him?” Nicole questioned as she leaned in and took a closer look. 

       “Well . . . They said they got a call for prostitution in the area. And when they went up there, a woman . . . came out of his room.”

       The redhead blinked a few times as she stood up straight. “Yea, that sounds like Doc, alright,” she muttered. 

       “But that’s the only thing . . . They said his description was only a partial match. Something about no facial hair.” He waved his hand around. “But now we have to watch the feed until he comes out of his room so we can identify him ourselves.” 

       “. . . And by  _ we _ you mean  _ Jer and I _ ?” She questioned knowingly. 

       He smiled and gave her a light pat on the shoulder. “You two have fun, now,” he said as he placed his Stetson on and walked out of the room. 

       Nicole shoved Jeremy out of the office chair, quickly sitting down in it herself with a smirk. He got up off the floor with a huff, wacking her on the side of the head as he walked around and grabbed one of the other chairs to sit in. 

 

       "I don't like you," Jeremy mumbled, looking down at Nicole on the floor as she rocked out some pushups. "How many of those have you even done today?" 

       They had been sitting in Nedley's office going on 5 hours now and each time Nicole got too bored playing their game of  _ count the cars _ , she had dropped down and either done some pushups or sit-ups. "267 . . . 268 . . . 269 . . ." 

       "Do they deliver pizza here?" 

       She stopped counting and looked up at him mid-plank. "We're going to the Homestead for dinner in an  _ hour _ ," she reminded. 

       He leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms. "I don't see us going anywhere if he doesn't come out of that dang room." 

       Nicole sighed, standing up off the floor and plopping back down in her chair. "He'll have to come out at some-" She slid her chair forward abruptly, bringing her face right next to the screen. 

       The door of the cabin opened and a woman walked out, turning back to the figure in the door. They stepped into the light and, low and behold, there stood Doc Holliday. 

       Nicole pulled her radio off of her shirt. "Sheriff, come in." 

       "Go ahead, Haught." 

       "It's him. Another hooker just walked out and he's standing at the door." 

       "Are you _sure_ it's him?" Nedley asked.

       "I know that stupid hat from anywhere," she answered. 

       "Alright . . . I'll be there in a minute."

       Right as his fizz faded, another rolled over. "Units, we've got a report of a hit and run. Red Chevy Pickup fled the scene about 5 minutes ago. Last seen knocking mailboxes down on Oak Drive." 

       Nicole stood quickly, bringing her radio back to her mouth and walking around her desk. "10-4, Haught en route.” She pulled her jacket on, looking towards Jeremy. “We’ll figure out what to do tomorrow. Go get ready for tonight and  _ do not  _ mention you were with me, got it?” 

       He nodded with a wave as she rushed out the door. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The white SUV skidded out of the driveway and Nicole watched it go, lip twitching with anger. Her hands were tightly balled at her sides and she tried to pull a couple of deep breaths in to calm herself down before she did something stupid. 

       She finally trudged through the snow towards her car, wiping her teary face with her sleeves as she closed the door, pulling her keys out of her pocket. 

       She was  _ tired _ of it. She was _tired_ of parents leaving for reasons that weren’t the child’s fault. She was _tired_ of kids having to grow up with only one, sometimes none. She was _tired_ of people hurting from the actions of other people. 

       And she was _so_ _goddamn tired_ of not doing anything about it. 

       She pushed the keys in the ignition and pulled out of the Homestead driveway. 

 

       The Officer climbed out of the Corvette, taking a sip of the 7-Eleven coffee she had picked up about 45 minutes earlier. It was a four and a half hour drive to Alberta Beach, so time was ticking close to 11 PM. She eyed the cabin as she pushed off the Corvette, setting the coffee cup on the top of the car. 

       She let out a breath as she stopped at the door, looking down at the paper in her hand. She rolled it up and raised her fist to the door, giving it a firm knock. Her ears picked up on the sound of footsteps approaching the door a few seconds later. “Who is it?” The gruff drawl asked. 

       Her eyes widened for a millisecond as she quickly had to think of a response. “Sheriff’s Department,” she informed, altering her voice the slightest bit. 

       “Sheriff’s Department?” She heard him mumble to himself as the door unlocked and came open. “What do you people keep botherin-” He stopped as the light from inside illuminated her raised eyebrows and lips set in a straight line. His eyes shot open, lips parting in fear. 

       Nicole took a step forward, pushing past him into the cabin, dotting her eyes around for a second before turning back to face him. “Nice place you’ve got here,” she mused, crossing her arms and standing up straight. 

       “How’d you find me?” He questioned in a whisper. 

       “Well, for  _ one _ , about 25% of the people you left are cops of some sort, so those odds weren’t in your favor. And  _ two _ , we got a hit on our APB of your description when  _ somebody _ got taken in for soliciting a prostitute, so.” 

       He kept staring at her as he closed the door. “Now, Officer Haught, you’ve gotta understand, it was not my intention to hurt you like-”

       She let out a huff, taking a few steps closer to him. His eyes widened some more and he pressed his back to the door. “Maybe I  _ should _ be mad that you knocked two of my teeth loose and one out.” She pulled her lip down, showing him the metal wire across her bottom teeth. “But I really don’t care right now.” 

       His face softened apologetically and she could tell that his emotions were genuine. “So you’re  _ not _ here for revenge?” He asked slowly. 

       “No, I’m not here for revenge,” she said with a small unamused laugh. 

       His brow furrowed in confusion as he stepped away from the door. “Then what are you here for?” 

       She looked down at the paper in her hand. “I’m here to bring you home.” 

       Doc’s body stiffened. “I’m not going back there.” 

       “You are.” 

       “No, I am not,” he huffed. 

       “You’re either going to go willingly or I’m gonna drag your ass because you, Sir, have a baby to raise and I am  _ not _ going to let her grow up without a father.” 

       His eyes grew cold. “Well, I’m sure Dolls will be happy to help with  _ that _ .” He turned away, walking past her. The redhead grabbed his arm and turned him around, shoving the paper into his hand. He cocked an eyebrow as he unrolled it. “What is this?” 

       “Well, why don’t you read it?” She suggested. 

       He looked back down at it, taking several seconds to skim it over. “This is just a whole bunch of numbers, Nicole.” 

       She grumbled something under her breath as she snatched the paper out of his hand and held it out in front of them. “What does  _ that _ say?” She asked, pointing to the bottom collum on the sheet. 

       “ _ Chance of paternity: 94% _ .” He looked up at her with a furrowed brow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

       “It  _ means _ that you’re her father, Doc.” 

       His eyes shot open and he looked back down at the paper. “Wh- Well, you don’t know for sure. It’s only 94%.”

       She waved her hand around. “That’s cause I used your toothbrush and the DNA wasn’t the best,” she explained. “But you’re her father. And now you know it for sure. So . . . Can you please come home? Wynonna needs you . . . She’s been a mess since you left.” 

       He removed his hat and pushed his hand through his hair as he let a breath out. She watched as he gathered his thoughts, decisions flying through his mind. “. . . Can I have the night to think about it?” 

       “No. You shouldn’t even  _ have  _ to think about it, Holliday.”

       He pursed his lips, looking down at the floor as he placed his hat back on. “You’re right,” he mumbled, rubbing his face. “I’ll get to packing.” 

       She smiled, relief rushing over. “Can you maybe . . . make that quick? Waverly doesn’t know where I’m at and I’m sure she’s freaking out.”

       He stopped, mid-bending over to pick a shoe up off the floor. “You left without telling that girl where you were going?” He questioned with raised eyebrows

       She rubbed the back of her neck with a pained expression on her face. “Yea . . .”

       He shook his head, completing his journey down to grab the shoe. “She’s gonna beef ya,” he muttered. 

 

**-  -  -**

 

       “And then we loaded all of his stuff and drove back. I was going to have him stay at our house for the night so he didn’t give Wynonna a heart attack in the morning . . . But you were at our house, so that didn’t really work out as planned.” Nicole traced her eyes around the four faces staring back at her nervously, for no one had talked throughout the whole retelling of what had transpired to get them here. 

       The older Earp was the first to break the silence. “So . . . Let me get this straight. You sent a text to all your cop buddies to look for a dude with a mustache and some 1800s get up, _stole_ my blood, got it tested to prove that he’s my baby daddy, _and_ _then_ went and convinced him to come back with all of us being none the wiser?”

       Nicole slowly nodded, spinning one of the rings on Waverly’s hand that she was holding in her lap. “I guess . . .” 

       She stared at her for a few long seconds before nodding her head in approval. “I’m impressed, Haught Ham . . . But if you  _ ever _ pull some freak-type-shit like this again  _ or _ steal anything that has come from my body, I’ll rip you a new one.” 

       Nicole put her hands up. “I didn’t plan on it, Wynonna.” 

       The brunette stood up and looked down at the cowboy with a glare. “You. Barn. Now. We need to talk about some things.”

       Doc swallowed and stood up. “Yes, Ma’am.” They both headed for the door.

       “I have a feeling they’re going to be doing a lot more than talking,” Waverly mumbled. The Deputy looked towards her with a small smirk on her lips as she nodded. The smaller girl got up and smiled down at her. “And  _w_ _ e _ have a Halloween party to get ready for.” 

       Nicole grinned excitedly. “Indeed, we do.” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The Officer finished pinning her hair up and pulled the purple beanie over her head, tugging it down over the little bits of red that were peaking through. 

       “Nic, should I curl my hair or leave it normal?” Waverly asked, walking into the bathroom where she was standing. 

       Nicole made eye contact with her through the mirror. 

       And almost choked on her gum. 

       Waverly had spent  _ hours _ on their costumes over the past week or so, but Nicole had yet to see her in her’s. 

       Well. Not until now. 

       There she stood, dressed in an insanely tight yellow flannel crop top with a white vest with black cow patches on top of it. She had some denim  _ very short _ (ok,  _ booty _ shorts) on, with the addition of a red bandana around her neck, a brown cowboy hat, and some cowboy boots. 

       “Nicole.” 

       The redhead snapped out of it, darting her eyes back up to her smirking face. “Uhh . . . What’d you ask again?” She questioned, face flushing. 

       She shook her head with a giggle, taking a few steps closer to her. Nicole’s arms automatically wrapped around her, hands reaching down to cup her ass as she leaned into a deep kiss. She let out a breathy sigh as she could feel  _ just how short _ those shorts actually were. 

       Nicole lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around her waist as she set her on the counter. Waverly ran her hands down her upper arms, seeing how the white sleeved shirt that she had painted the front to look like Buzz’s uniform hugged them tightly. The Officer had white skinny jeans on and some cardboard-cutout wings on her back. 

       Waverly pressed open-mouthed kisses up her neck as she made her way to her ear. “'Dyou know what they say about us cowboys?” She husked, meeting her eyes. She rolled her thumb down her lip. “ _ We all know how to ride _ .” 

       The redhead’s breath caught in her throat as the grin took over her girlfriend’s face. Waverly dropped her head back to her neck and Nicole pulled her off of the counter, walking them out of the bathroom, already kicking her shoes that she had just pulled on off. “Should I tell them we might be late?” She asked with a smirk as she dropped her down onto the bed, yanking open the bottom drawer of their nightstand. 

       Waverly sat up, tugging her hips forward and finding the button on her pants. “We’ve got over an hour, we’ll be fine.” 

       Nicole kicked her pants off and propped her wings to rest against the nightstand, pulling the harness up her legs before setting the tip in her open mouth. “Whatever you say, Sheriff.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like everyone to keep in mind that just because a character does something, that does not mean that the author agrees with it/them. 
> 
> And I'm not just directing that to this story, I mean in general.
> 
> Also, did y'all know that Woody's a bottom?  
> Well, now you do 😂


	61. Let's Get You Home

       “ _ God, Waves _ ,” Nicole breathed quietly, tightening her fist in her hair and leaning her head back to hit the bathroom mirror.

       The party so far had been . . . quite eventful. Time was ticking towards 12 AM and everyone there was pretty much drunk off of the spiked blood orange punch and jello eyeball shots.

       And for the couple. 

       Well. 

       This was their third trip to the bathroom. They were averaging once an hour at this point, for they quite honestly couldn’t get enough of each other tonight for some reason. 

       Waverly moved her hand from her hip, jabbing two fingers into her. The Officer’s eyes rolled back in her head and her ankles locked behind her back as her centre throbbed in beat with her racing heart. She unclamped her right hand from the edge of the counter and bit down on the side of it as her muscles tightened all over her body. 

       Waverly smiled as she looked up at her, lessening the pressure of her tongue and slowing the pumps of her fingers as Nicole body slowly went limp, chest heaving as her eyes fluttered open. Waverly stood up off of her knees, gently easing her fingers out and pushing them into her mouth. 

       The redhead let out a breathy chuckle, sitting up and easing her closer by her hips, giving her a soft kiss. “You’re getting too good at that.”

       “Oh yea?” She slurred with a smirk, placing her Woody hat back on. “Why’s that a problem?” 

       Nicole smacked her hands on the tops of her thighs a few times. “Cause I think my legs are numb.”

       “Oh my God,” she laughed, stepping over her legs and holding her hands out. Nicole pushed herself forward, grabbing her wrists and hopping down. Waverly switched her hands to her hips, looking up at her with raised eyebrows. “Good?” 

       “Yea,” Nicole mumbled with a blush, reaching down and pulling her jeans up from around her ankles. The brunette gave her one more kiss as she zipped and buttoned them for her. “You’ve got a little . . .” The redhead wiped the bottom of her chin with her thumb. 

       Waverly licked her lips, turning and grabbing the air freshener off of the shelf behind her. “It smells like sex in here.” 

       Nicole laughed, placing her hand on the small of her back as she opened the bathroom door and walked out. They saw one of the bartenders from Shorty’s dressed as a zombie making out with his zombie girlfriend on the futon as they returned downstairs. 

       Jeremy grabbed Nicole’s shoulder as she passed him at the DJ stand, bringing his face near her ear. “Can you take over in 5?” 

       She looked back at him, glancing over his Albert Einstein costume. “I made an hour set the other night. Should be under Halloween or something like that. I’ll take over after that’s done.” 

       He nodded. “What were you two doing up there?” Nicole’s face blushed and she pulled her lips into her mouth, wiggling her eyebrows. His face scrunched up as Waverly returned with a cup of punch for both of them, handing her one. “That’s gross, Dude.” 

       She smirked, leaning her head towards his. “You’re just jealous.” 

       “I am _not_ ,” he huffed. 

       “Really? Cause I’ve done it more today than you ever have,  _ Mr. One and a Half _ .” 

       He glared at her, stepping back behind the stand. “Fuck you.” 

       Nicole grinned as they walked off. “Go find you a mans!” She shouted. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The Deputy's alarm for work went off at 7 AM. Her eyes opened annoyedly and she stared at her phone beeping on the nightstand for a second. She heard a groan and felt a hand smack her side. Waverly had closed up Shorty’s at three that morning so she wasn’t in the mood to be woken up yet. 

       The redhead reached over and shut it off, flipping to her back. She tried to take in a deep breath, but she quickly realized how stuffed up her nose was. 

       And that realization led her to a few more. 

       One. Her mouth was as dry as the Sahara Desert, most likely from breathing through it all night. And her throat felt raw and swollen. Two. There was a deep throbbing behind her eyes that made her not even want to open them. Three. Her whole body was sticky. And upon further inspection, she concluded that her sheets were soaked from sweat. She slowly sat up, rubbing her face.

       It happened every year. Every year at the beginning of December, she came down with something. She had for as long as she could remember. Sometimes it was just a head cold, but other times it was the flu or something along those lines. 

       She groaned as she stood up and gathered her uniform. A little cold was not going to stop her from going to work. 

       After a hot shower that helped clear up her sinuses a little bit, she downed some DayQuil and kissed Waverly on the forehead before driving off to work. 

       She climbed out of her cruiser and headed for the door. “Hold it!” A familiar voice shouted from behind her. She turned, seeing Wynonna doing a little jog to catch up to her. The brunette smacked her back as she walked past, and Nicole’s body stiffened with the shock of pain it sent through her sore muscles. “Good morning,-  _ Sunshine _ . . .” Her words slowed as she turned her head to look at her. “What’s wrong with you?” 

       She walked into the station, heading towards her office. “I’m fine, Wynonna,” she mumbled, scaring herself, for she had just heard how hoarse her voice was for the first time. 

       “You don’t look fine.” She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. “Jeez, Dude, you’re burning up.” 

       She shrugged her hand off. “I’m  _ fine _ ,” she huffed, walking around her and shutting the door of her office in her face. 

       Wynonna pursed her lips, pulling her phone out of her pocket. 

 

**Nonna: Get your gf to go home. She’s got a fever 🌡️🌡️🌡️**

 

       She put her phone back after a minute with no answer. If Nicole wanted to suffer, she wasn’t going to try and convince her not to. She walked off to the break room, grabbing two donuts and wandering over to the BBD office, taking a bite off of each. 

       Nicole dropped down into her chair, pulling the couple of files from the day before that she hadn’t gotten to out of her desk drawer and picking up a pen. 

       Her head slowly raised as her radio fizzed right as she was about to start writing. “Units, we’ve got a report of a reckless driver going down the main road. Black Ford sedan.”

       She sighed, looking back down at that stack. That was an easy one person job and if she didn’t have to go then she wasn’t going to. “Haught, take it,” Nedley called over. 

       Her lips pursed and she stood up, shrugging her coat back on. “Copy,” she grumbled.  _ Of course _ . She walked out of the station and jumped into her car, flicking her lights on as she pulled out. 

       As she went to pull out onto the main drag, the guy she was looking for flew passed her, driving down the wrong side of the road. She cut the wheel, firing out after it as she turned her sirens on. 

       The Officer easily caught up to it as it swerved from left to right. It wasn’t like a drunk driver, more like someone who was purposely trying to swerve around for “fun”. After a minute, the car finally slowed to a stop, pulling off to the side of the road.

       Right as she climbed out, she saw something drop out of the driver’s side window. She furrowed her brow as she removed her pistol from its holster. If that was what she thought it was, this guy might have had a few other things hiding. She approached, keeping the gun at her hip as she knocked on the tinted window, glancing down at the snowy shoulder to where the object was dropped to confirm her suspicion. 

       The window rolled down and a cloud of smoke drifted out the window. She brought her fist to her mouth and coughed a few times as she waved the hand with the gun in front of her face to clear it away. She squinted into the car, eyes widening at the driver. “Scotty, what the _hell_?” 

       The boy shot her a slightly nervous grin. “Hey, Coach."

       She put her gun away with a huff. “Do you realize  _ how _ many laws you are breaking right now!?” He blinked at her with his bloodshot eyes. She glared at him, stepping back. “Get out of the car.” He complied, opening his door and climbing out, leaning against the back seat door and crossing his arms over his chest. “Do you have  _ any _ common sense or did you hotbox that right out of ya?” She bent down and picked up the blunt, setting it on the roof of the car. 

       He turned his head and grabbed it, bringing it to his lips. “Thanks.” 

       She snatched it back, putting it out and setting it farther away from him. “Don’t be cute with me, Kid. You’re only going to make it worse.” Nicole reached into one of the pockets in her utility belt, pulling a pair of rubber gloves out and snapping them on. 

       “Wait, what are you doing?” He questioned, furrowing his brow as he dropped his arms to his sides.

       “I’m searching the car,” she informed as she sat herself in the driver’s seat.

       “Wh- Coach, you can’t do that.”

       She pulled down both visors and reached over to get in the glove box. “I can, actually.” 

       “No, pot is legal,” he retorted as she dug around in it, pulling 2 packs of cigarettes and a couple of lighters out. 

       “Not for 14 year olds,” she informed. “Anything in this car is in your possession, by the way.” She set her findings so far on the passenger’s seat. 

       “What?! But this is Dustin’s car!” 

       Nicole knew that was the second oldest out of the three brothers, Scotty being the youngest. She set the crushed beer can that was on the floorboards on the seat. “But you were driving it. How am I supposed to know this isn’t your stuff, huh?” 

       “Coach, it’s not!” 

       She opened the center console, pulling out a baggie of blunts, a pipe, and another bag of weed. “Don’t  _ Coach _ me. _You’re_ the one that screwed up.” She stepped out and moved him, opening the back door with a sniff and picking up the several empty bottles of various liquor. 

       He stayed quiet, so she finished searching the car, checking the trunk, under all of the seats and any other place she knew people liked to hide things. She set everything that was on the seat on the trunk and walked around to face him, turning him around and grabbing his shoulder. “Scotty Schlemmer, you’re under arrest for illegal possession, driving under the influence, reckless driving, and driving without a license. You have the right to remain silent . . .” She trailed on as she took him to her car, sitting him in the back seat. She didn’t cuff him. Maybe she should have. But she didn’t. 

       After packing everything in evidence bags, she drove him back to the station, taking him inside. Lonnie went to walk past them and she stopped him, pressing the bags to his chest. “Can you put these in the evidence room for me? Thanks.” She shot him a tight-lipped smile as she walked on and pushed Scotty towards the cells. She opened one of the doors and he walked in, a look of fear on his face. “Don’t do the crime if you can’t pay the time,” she sighed with a shrug, closing the door and turning away. “Someone will be in later once they’ve called your parents.” She gave him one more glance as she walked out, letting out a sigh and rubbing her face. 

       She grabbed a police report paper as she trudged back into her office, setting it on top of the stack she still had to get to. She leaned her head on her left fist as she began to fill it out. She groaned as she rubbed her eyes, keeping them closed for just . . . one more . . . second. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Hey, Ned?” 

       The Sheriff looked up at Wynonna, who was standing in his doorway. “Don’t call me that.” 

       She rolled her eyes, leaning against the frame. “Is Haught Pants still here?”

       He blinked at her for a second. “Why  _ wouldn’t _ she be here?” 

       “Cause she’s sick and I told Waverly to come drag her home, but I don’t know if she did or not.”

       He blinked at her some more. “Well, did you check her  _ office _ ?” 

       It was her turn to blink at him now. “. . . I totally thought of that, yea,” she mumbled as she turned away. 

       He shook his head as he stood up and followed her out. She pushed open Nicole’s door and they both stopped at the doorway as they looked in. 

       There sat the redhead, bent forward as her head laid flat against the top of her desk, pen still in her hand as she snoozed. Nedley sighed, pulling his phone out. 

 

**___**

 

       Waverly’s eyes opened at the sound of her ringtone. She groaned, flapping her hand around on the nightstand by her side, lifting it slightly so she could see the name. Her brow creased as she saw Nedley’s name. She sat up, putting it to her ear. Nothing scared her more than getting a call from him while Nicole was at work. 

       “Hello?” 

       “Hi, Waverly,” he sighed. 

       “What’s wrong?” She questioned worriedly. 

       “Well. I’m gonna need you to come pick Nicole up.” 

       “Why . . .?” She was already off of the bed, yanking some jeans and a hoodie out of the closet. 

       “Wynonna said she texted you earlier,” he informed. 

       Her brow furrowed as she set her phone down on the bed on speaker as she pulled the pants up her legs. “I just woke up, Randy. What’s going on?” 

       “She said she had a fever and now she’s asleep at her desk. I don’t need her infecting my station.”

       The brunette picked her phone back up, putting it to her ear with a sigh. “Alright. I’ll be there in a few. Thanks, Sheriff.” 

       “No problem.” 

       She hung up the phone and shoved it in her hoodie pouch as she pulled some boots on and walked out of the bedroom, grabbing her purse and keys as she left out the door. 

       She got out of the car after she parked and walked inside to Nicole’s office. She looked in, watching Wynonna take a Sharpie out of the container of pens and such on her desk. “Nonna, leave her be,” she grumbled, walking over and snatching it out of her hand. 

       The older brunette pursed her lips at her. “You’re no fun.” 

       Waverly rolled her eyes, walking around the desk and pressing her hand to the side of her girlfriend's neck. “Oh, Nic,” she mumbled, dropping to her knees after she felt how hot she was. She rubbed her hand on her thigh, pushing some hair out of her face. “Wake up, Baby.” 

       The redhead’s eyes slowly blinked halfway open with a quiet groan as her body tensed up painfully. Waverly looked at her with worried eyes as she combed her fingers through her hair. Nicole lifted her head, rubbing her eyes as she looked around and realized where she was. “Shit.”

       Waverly pushed herself up off the floor. “Let’s get you home, yea?” She suggested gently, rubbing her back. 

       “‘M fine,” she mumbled with a sniff, scooting her chair in. 

       The brunette shook her head. “No. You’re sick, Love.” 

       “I’m fine, Waves,” she insisted. 

       “Haught, get your ass home,” Nedley huffed from the doorway. She looked up at him with a sigh. She’d be crazy to argue with him. She stood up and rolled the stiffness out of her neck, walking around her desk. Waverly followed, guiding her with her hand on the small of her back. “You’re out until that fever’s gone. Are we clear?” 

       “Yes, Sir,” she mumbled. 

       He gave her a nod and they walked out to Waverly’s jeep. “You need to stop being so damn stubborn,” she grumbled when she climbed into the driver’s side. 

       Nicole leaned her head against the window. “Mm.” 

       After a quick stop to pick up some of the basic things she’d need, Waverly parked in front of the house and grabbed the bag, getting them both inside. Nicole plopped herself face-first on the couch, tugging the blanket tightly around her. The brunette set the couple of cans of soup in the cabinet and the container of orange juice in the fridge before piling the heap of different medicines on the counter. She opened the new thermometer, walking over and sitting down next to the Officer. “Nic.” She rubbed her shoulder gently and the redhead flipped over, looking up at her with sad eyes. She held it up and Nicole took it and put it in her mouth. 

       It beeped after several seconds, and Waverly pulled it out, looking at the reading. She let out a huff at the 102.3 prediction. “C’mon. Let’s get you out of your uniform.” 

       “No,” the redhead whined quietly. “‘S cold in here.” 

       She stroked the backs of her fingers down her cheek. “You’re burning up, Babe. You need to get in something not so tight.” She pulled on the stretchy material of her top that hugged her figure. 

       Nicole reluctantly sat up, knowing she was right. She pushed off the couch and they both walked into the bedroom. The smaller girl turned her and went to unclip her utility belt, but the taller girl shuffled away, doing it herself. “Nic-” 

       “I can dress myself.” 

       The brunette’s face fell. She could tell Nicole felt like shit, so she was just trying to help. But if she wanted to be left alone, she wasn’t going to fight her about it. She shoved her hands in her pockets, walking out of the room with a sigh. 

       Nicole turned her head, brow furrowing as she watched her walk out of the room. She immediately felt bad for snapping at her like that. “Wave,” she mumbled. 

       The brunette turned around, raising her eyebrows, and Nicole stared at her with that  _ stupid fucking “I’m sorry” face _ . She pursed her lips to hide a smile as she walked back over to her. “What do you want to wear, Love?” 

       She swallowed painfully with a shrug as she wrapped her arms around herself to try and warm her shivering body. Waverly rubbed her thumb on her hip before turning towards their closet and sorting through it. She held up one of her Blink 182 t-shirts with a questioning brow. Nicole shook her head. She tried again with the rainbow tank she got at Purgatory Pride. Another no. She bit the side of her cheek as she went in the opposite direction, showing one of her University of Calgary long-sleeved shirts. She smiled slightly at the small nod. Waverly took it off of the hanger and handed it to her as she moved to the dresser. “I want sweatpants,” the redhead mumbled as she tugged her uniform shirt off. 

       “I don’t want you to overheat, Honey,” she said softly as she grabbed a pair of black boxers and held them out to her. 

       “I won’t.”

       “You will. And if you get up to 104, I’m taking you to the ER, so you mise well play it safe with these.” 

       Nicole’s head poked out the top of the red shirt and she took the boxers with a sigh. Waverly dropped to a knee and began to unlace her boots for her, yanking them both off her feet and standing back up, grabbing her utility belt as well. She stood up on her toes to kiss her cheek before walking with her things out of the room. She set her boots on the rack in the living room and then took her gun out of the holster and set it in the gun safe for her. 

       She was plugging in the humidifier when the redhead sulked back out. She stood up and walked over to the couch as she sat down. “Do you want anything, Baby?" Nicole shook her head. "Ok," she sighed, sitting down on the recliner and popping the feet up. 

       The Officer let out a whine as she stood up and grabbed the blanket, plopping herself down on Waverly. "Warm." 

       The brunette smiled, pushing her hand up her shirt and running her fingers up her side. "You're gonna get me sick." 

       "Oh well." She closed her eyes and snuggled her head into her chest, tugging the blanket up over part of her face. The brunette tutted, pulling it down to her shoulders before grabbing the remote and flicking Netflix on. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly’s eyes slowly opened. She stretched her arms above her head with a yawn and rubbed them. The first thing she thought of, thanks to feeling the layer of sweat on her face, was how hot she was. 

       And by the touch of her hand to the even sweatier 103 degree forehead of her girlfriend plus the blanket on top of both of them, it wasn’t hard to figure out why. She pulled it off of her quickly, rolling out from underneath her and standing up. The redhead managed to stay asleep and that only seemed to concern her more. She picked her phone off the ground where it must have fallen off of the armrest and checked the time, seeing that time had eased into the early evening since they had been awake last. 

       Waverly walked into the kitchen and picked up the thermometer. She went back over to the recliner and gently stuck it into the redhead’s open mouth, quickly pulling it out after one beep. “Poor Baby,” she mumbled, seeing that her 103 prediction was right on the dot. 

       Trudging back into the kitchen, the brunette measured out some medicine and poured a cup of orange juice, setting both on the coffee table before returning to Nicole’s side. She shook her shoulder gently, whispering her name until hazy brown orbs met her eyes. “Hey you,” she said softly with a small smile. 

       Nicole made an attempt to say something, but her mixture of a sore throat and insanely dry mouth left her not able to get any sounds out. She closed her eyes, trying to swallow. Waverly turned, grabbing the cup of juice and handing it out to her. She sat up and went to take a drink, but furrowed her brow at the orange color instead of the clear she was expecting. “It’s good for you,” the brunette said, sensing her confusion. She hitched her lip with a small huff of complaint as she took a small sip. “How’re you feeling?” Waverly asked as she took the cup back and the Officer rubbed her face with the inside of her collar.

       “Shitty,” she mumbled. 

       Waverly pursed her lips as she picked up the medicine and held it out to her. “More or less than earlier?” 

       The redhead downed it, washing it down with another sip of juice. “More.” 

       She took the empty medicine cup and walked back into the kitchen. “You’re fever’s gone up, too, Babe,” she sighed. Nicole tugged the sleeves of her shirt up, pulling her foot under the opposite knee as she watched her pad about the kitchen for a few moments in an attempt to organize everything again. “Do you wanna try and eat something?” 

       The Officer's face scrunched up at the  _ thought _ of that. “No.” 

       “Not even some soup?” Waverly questioned, leaning her arms onto the island as her brow creased. 

       “No,” Nicole mumbled a little quieter, curling in on herself, wrapping her arms around her knees and spinning the ponytail on her wrist with her thumb. She hated feeling helpless. She hated when other people had to take care of her. But she already knew this was one of the worst illnesses she’d come down with in the last couple years, so she was just about useless. 

       She watched Waverly push up from the counter, turning and grabbing a pot out of one of the bottom cabinets. “Waves,” she whined, trying to unstick her hot body from the leather. 

       “You’re gonna eat a little, Nic. A few spoonfuls, at least.” 

       The redhead huffed, throwing her head back with a sigh. She knew she really had no choice in the matter at the end. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Within three days, Nicole’s temperature was back to normal, and in a week, she was as good as new. But right as Nicole was better, it was Waverly’s turn. She hadn’t caught it as bad; her symptoms were milder and her temperature never got over 101.5, but it still wasn’t fun for either of them. 

       Thankfully, she was healthy by the time finals rolled around the following week.

 

       The Officer took a sip of her coffee, looking out the window in her office at the snow slowly drifting to the ground. It was 8 PM and she had been at work for 6 hours and was hardly looking forward to the last 6. Her, Dolls, and Wynonna spent the majority of the day trampling through the snowy hills in search for a Revenant, so she was still trying to warm herself up a bit. They were now 39 down, so they had just had a small celebration for getting halfway through. 

       As for Wynonna, her and the baby were doing great. She and Doc were actually putting the finishing touches on the nursery now, as she was about 6 months along. And their relationship had smoothed out, as well. In no way were they  _ in _ a relationship, but they sure did fight like a married couple. Even Wynonna and Dolls’ relationship’s holes had been patched up. It wasn't like it was before, but they were friendly to one another again after the apologies from both sides. 

       Nicole was torn from the window at the sound of footsteps approaching the door. She turned her head, finding her girlfriend walking in with tear stains on her face. She set her cup down on her desk as she went over to her. “What is it, Baby?” She asked softly, cupping her jaw in her hands.

       She shook her head, closing her eyes. “I’m just so stressed, Nic,” she sniffled. 

       The redhead’s brow softened as she gently pulled her into a hug with a sigh. She wasn’t surprised. She had been waiting for this to happen if she was honest.

       Over the past month and a half, besides the small hiccup of illness, Waverly had been grinding her schoolwork to the bone. Once she found out that if she put in the extra hours, she could get her Associate’s degree before the end of the year, she had gone beast mode and it now took up 60% of her free time, if not more. 

       Nicole wasn’t mad that they had been spending less time lounging around with each other. They lived together, so they were around each other every day. But she was mad at how hard she was pushing herself. The only living being on the planet that Waverly Earp was mean to was herself. 

       And,  _ God _ , how she was. 

       She got that she was a perfectionist. That was understandable. But the way she beat herself up if something didn’t turn out right or she didn’t do as well as she could have was horrible. Nicole would sometimes find her in the living room at 4 in the morning hunched over a computer screen because she was retyping an essay for the 5th time. 

       But now?

       She had her  _ final _ to study for; the one that “determined if she got her degree or not.” And Nicole knew she would do fine even if she didn’t study at all. She was Waverly  _ freaking _ Earp. But that didn’t stop her from worrying her tail off. 

       “Oh, Wave, you’re ok, Baby,” she soothed, pulling back and running her thumbs along the base of her neck. “You need to take a break, o-” When her hands came up to rub the last tears falling, she noticed the heavy purple bags under her eyes. “Have you not been sleeping well either?” The brunette pulled the edge of her lip into her mouth as she shrugged and Nicole knew that was what she did when she lied. “Wave,” she said a little more sternly, tipping her head. 

       She let out a small noise of complaint as she dropped her forehead to her collar bone. “You’re gonna get mad at me,” she mumbled. 

       Nicole tipped her head up with her finger. “Why?”

       She stared at her guiltily for a second. “. . . Cause after you’ve fallen asleep for the past two nights, I’ve gotten back up and then gotten back in before you got up again.” 

       Her brows shot up. “ _ Waverly _ .” 

       She pulled away from her, closing the door before pivoting back towards her. “I can’t screw this up, ok, Nicole? And if that means that I’m holding my 5,000 flashcards in one hand and a Monster in the other, then so be it.” 

       “Ok, first of all, you can’t yell at me for drinking those anymore. Second of all, running yourself exhausted is not going to help you retain anything you are studying. Trust me, I did the whole college thing before, too.”

       She pursed her lips. “I know . . . But it all starts tomorrow, Nic.” 

       Nicole stepped towards her, rubbing her hands up and down her arms a few times. “I know, Love. I know.” She pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I’m gonna take you home, alright?” 

       “No, I wanna stay with you for a while,” she mumbled, hugging her arms around her middle and propping her chin up on her chest. 

       “You need to go to sleep.” She kissed her nose. “24 hours without it is equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0.1%. Now double that for your dumbass . . . Do you really want to take your final wasted?” Waverly scrunched her face angrily, giving her a warning pinch on the butt. Nicole let out a small yelp, making a face at her as she turned and grabbed her coat off of the hook. 

       The redhead pulled up to their house and shut the car off, walking around and opening Waverly’s door for her. The brunette climbed out, gripping her arm as she almost lost her balance stepping up on the curb. Nicole grabbed her waist to steady her with a small laugh. “Alright, Sleeping Beauty.” She turned her and hoisted her up bridal style. Waverly smiled, snuggling into her neck as she carried her inside. Nicole set her on the bed and grabbed the pile of four blankets, draping them over her one by one before leaning down and pressing a kiss to her lips. “Goodnight, My Love,” she smiled.

       “Ni’ night, Cole,” she said through a yawn. “Love you.” 

       “I love you, too.” She gave her a chaste kiss before walking towards the door. “If I get home later and you’re up, I'll whoop your ass.” 

       “I might just make sure I'm up then,” the already half-asleep Waverly slurred, a smirk evidence from her voice. 


	62. That, My Friend, Is Called Skill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nice night of celebration at Shorty's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy :)

****        Nicole stopped at the house and pulled her phone out of her pocket as she walked up to the porch and unlocked the door. She pressed it to her ear, walking inside. 

       "Hi, Honey!" Waverly answered. 

       "Hey, Babe," she said, noticing the huge smile that pushed onto her face just _hearing_ her girlfriend's voice. "I just got home." 

       "Alright. Wynonna and Doc are already here at Shorty's." 

       Nicole set the phone on the dresser as she began to tug her uniform off. "Mk. I'll be there in 10-15 minutes." 

       "Ok, see you in a bit. Love you." 

       "Love you, too. Buh-bye." She tapped the red button and tossed her pants into the hamper. 

       It was exactly  _ one week _ until Christmas and Waverly had already gotten the best gift she could have asked for: a simple email telling her that she got her degree. She was so excited when she picked her phone up and read it that morning that she accidentally elbowed sleeping Nicole in the nose. 

       Hugging and spinning her around with two tampons shoved up her nostrils was not the  _ ideal _ celebration they were hoping for, but it's what they got. 

       And the gang decided that today was a day worth celebrating even more so they were all heading to Shorty's for some drinks. 

       Nicole pulled on some heavily ripped black skinny jeans and straightened the sleeves of her skin tight white button-down before tugging on a black leather jacket and plopping a white beanie on her head. 

       She smirked as she moved back towards their closet and pulled the black shoebox that was hiding in the back corner of the top shelf that she knew Waverly could not see nor reach. Maybe she had bought herself a  _ little itty bitty _ early Christmas present. And maybe the price tag was not so  _ little itty bitty _ . And  _ maybe _ Waverly was going to have a  _ little itty bitty  _ fit when she found out about said price tag, but that was ok. 

       Her new black and white Jordan 1 Retros were worth it. 

       After putting them on, she fixed her face with some subtle makeup, fed Calamity, and headed off to Shorty’s. 

       She pulled in the parking lot behind Jeremy’s car and parked beside him. She climbed out and walked around to greet him. “‘Sup, Kid,” she smirked, pinching the skin on the back of his neck. 

       “Quit,” he whined, smacking her hand away. 

       Nicole laughed as she pulled one of the double doors open, letting him walk through first. She traced her eyes around, finding her girlfriend’s smiling face at the other end of the bar, chatting with . . .  _ Rosita _ . 

       Every muscle in her body tensed up, jaw locking. Jeremy turned when he noticed she wasn’t beside him anymore, seeing that she had stopped four steps into the bar. He walked back over to her. “What . . .?” 

       She kept her eyes forward, watching the girl’s every move. Waverly had told her that they hadn’t really talked since the incident but seeing how friendly they were being might have just proved otherwise. 

       “Oh! Did you hear that Rosie is working with BBD now?” Jeremy asked with a smile. 

       Her head snapped towards him. “ _ What _ ?!” 

       His brow hitched. “Do you have a problem with her or something?” 

       “She tried to kiss Waves while she was _drunk_ , so yes, I  _ think _ I have a problem with her, Jeremy.” His eyes widened as he glanced back over to the duo. “Why the hell is she working with Black Badge?” She asked a little quieter. 

       “Cause she has a Ph.D. in biochemistry  _ and  _ engineering,” he informed. “She’s helping me create more of Dolls’ . . .  _ anti-dragon drugs _ .” 

       She rolled her eyes, shoving her hands in her pockets as she wandered over and stopped about five feet behind Waverly, leaning her hip heavily against the bar as she pulled her switchblade out and ran the sharp edge against her finger, staring right at Rosita. 

       The woman glanced up from the brunette, face going white at the sight of the Deputy. Waverly saw the way her face changed and snapped her head back to see what she was looking at, eyes narrowing at Nicole. “Jesus Christ, what is  _ wrong _ with you?” She snapped, pushing her backward and grabbing the knife out of her hand. 

       “What the hell is she doing talking to you, huh?”

       “She was  _ congratulating _ me, Nicole, chill  _ out _ .” She tugged her hips closer to her and pushed the now-closed knife back in her pocket. “You’re lucky I wanted an excuse to stop talking to her or I’d be pissed at you.” 

       She said that to try and ease the tension but Nicole’s body went rigid again. “Why, what was she doing?” She asked quickly as she gripped Waverly’s hip, looking towards her as she was now back behind the bar serving customers.

       “No, nothing, she just thinks that anytime I talk to her I want to be her friend again and I don’t.” She draped her arms around her neck. “People that want to make out with me aren’t the people I try and associate myself with,” she said with a grin, pulling her head down into a deep kiss. “Well, besides you.” 

       Nicole smirked wolfishly, dropping her hands to her ass with a squeeze when she saw the bartender looking at them out of the corner of her eye. “ _ Damn straight _ .” 

       “Will one of you horn dogs bring me a Coke?!” Wynonna shouted from their position at the pool table. 

       Nicole and Waverly looked towards her with a joined sigh. “Yes, Wynonna,” the redhead called, rolling her eyes. She walked with the brunette over to the front of the bar and Waverly hopped up onto one of the stools, jerking her hips towards her. 

       The Officer quickly braced herself with her hands pressed against the counter on either side of her body, looking down at her with a knowing smirk as Waverly slid her hands inside her jacket and rubbed along her abs and sides. Rosita walked over to her with an annoyed stare. “What?” 

       “Coke, 5 tequila shots, and a . . .” She looked down at Waverly. “Whachu want?” 

       “2 AMFs,” she said, tipping her head back. “Make ‘em strong.”

       Rosita widened her eyes at her, walking off to make their drinks. “What the hell is an AMF?” Nicole question. 

       “You’ve never had one?” 

       “No . . . What’s it stand for?” 

       “Adios Motherfucker,” she smirked.    


       Nicole matched her face. “Well, now I want one.” 

       “Why do you think I ordered two?” 

       Nicole grinned, leaning down to catch her lips. Rosita cleared her throat after a minute and the redhead looked up, seeing all their drinks sitting in front of her. “Are you gonna pay or what?” 

       “Oh. Right.” Nicole reached her hand in Waverly’s back pocket, pulling it out with nothing but her middle finger. She grabbed the tray and one of the glasses and the brunette grabbed the other two, carrying them over to the pool tables. She set it all down on the table by it, slamming three of the five tequila shots. “She can suck my dick.” 

       “I’d break her neck,” Waverly snorted, tipping back the remaining two when she pushed the tray towards her. 

       Doc, Chrissy, Wynonna, and Jeremy walked over to them. “Guys,” the tall blonde slurred, leaning heavily against the smaller girl. She had always been a lightweight. “ _ I _ would like to make a toast to my  _ super-duper _ smart best friend for getting her  _ super-duper  _ smart degree.” They all laughed, clinking their glasses. 

       “Seriously though, Babygirl, we’re all so fricking proud of you,” Wynonna said with a smile, pulling her into a one-armed hug.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Some new poppy country song about falling in love at first sight shot through the speakers of Shorty’s. Wynonna and Doc watched on as Nicole and Waverly did some not-so-clean dance moves in the dim lighting, surrounded by a bunch of other people, young and old, who could care less because they were all doing some near-cousins of the moves they were showing off. 

       After the song ended, they stumbled back to their table, holding their own giggle fest. “Having fun, are we?” Wynonna asked, raising her eyebrows at them. 

       “Ya,” Nicole slurred into her drink, draping half of her body over the back of the chair. “Hey.  _ You _ should play some pool with me,” she grinned, pointing a finger at the older Earp. 

       “No. You’re drunk, I’d win in five shots,” she said with a laugh. 

       “No, you wouldn’t,” she scoffed. 

       “Wanna bet?”   


       “Yuh-huh,” she agreed wide-eyed. 

       “Nonna, if you bet and she wins, that doesn’t mean you can skimp out of it like you usually do,” Waverly reminded. 

       “Oh, so you think  _ she’s _ gonna win, huh?” 

       “Of course I do,” she smirked, leaning into Nicole’s side. 

       Wynonna walked over to one of the pool tables and began to get it racked up. “Well. I guess I’m betting against  _ both _ of you fools then.” She walked back over to Nicole. “If  _ I _ win, you two have to do whatever I tell you two to do. And if  _ you _ win, I have to do whatever you tell me to do. Deal?” 

       A crooked grin worked its way up the redhead’s face as ideas started to fly through her head. She quickly nodded. Wynonna smirked as they both spit in their palms and smacked them together in a handshake."You two are disgusting," Waverly grimaced, scrunching her face up. 

       Nicole smiled, kissing her temple as she walked over and grabbed a pool stick, chalking up the end. "You can break cause I'm just that nice," Wynonna smiled. 

       "Aw, how  _ sweet _ ," she cooed, shrugging her jacket off and tossing it to the younger brunette. She leaned forward onto the table, wiggling her hips a little as she lined up her shot. She shot Waverly a wink over her shoulder as she flexed her right arm, putting all her weight behind it as she snapped it forward. The ball hit the others with a loud crack and two of the solids slid into the pockets. Nicole smirked, moving around to the right side and slowly bending forward again, ass now facing them. Waverly let out a wolf whistle.

       Wynonna walked over and gave her butt a hard smack as she watched her next move. Nicole kicked her shin before shooting again, knocking another in. "Look at you, Haught Shot," the brunette teased. 

       "Don't disturb the Master," she hushed as she walked to the left and struck the cue ball, hitting it too hard and knocking it in behind her blue ball. " _ Shit _ ." She tapped the end of her stick against the floor a few times before walking back over to the table and downing the last of her second Jack and Coke of the night as Wynonna stepped up to bat. She took a seat in one of the tall chairs and Waverly leaned back into her front. Nicole stuck her fingers under the hem of her high-waisted black jeans and held her stick with the other hand. 

       The brunette looked down to push herself up onto her lap, but stopped, squinting at her shoes. She turned around, pointing down at them. “Where’d those come from?” 

       Nicole’s eyes widened in fear for a second before she calmed herself down. “The house,” she said with a dimpled smile, sticking her hands in her back pockets with a light squeeze. 

       “Nicole,” she warned with a look, pushing her thumb into one of the rips in her jeans. The Officer didn’t answer, and instead cupped her cheek, pulling her into a kiss as she tugged her closer. Waverly sighed, pushing her fingers into the squishy part on the tops of her thighs as the redhead eased her tongue into her mouth. 

       She pulled away after a minute. “How much were they?” She asked, noticing how it said Air Jordan on the sides. The Officer looked at her with a toothy smile. “Over a hundred?” Nicole kept smiling. “150?” Her eyebrows slowly began to raise and Nicole’s smile grew more terrified. “200?” She smacked the side of her leg. “ _ Nicole Rayleigh Haught _ , if you spent more than $250 on  _ shoes _ , I’m gonna-”

       “Bottom left!” Wynonna called from the pool table. 

       Nicole’s eyebrows shot to her hairline as she climbed off the chair and walked over to the table. And sure enough. The last ball of Wynonna’s was the 8 ball. “Did she cheat?!” She asked Doc. 

       He put his hands up. “I swear to you she didn’t.” 

       The older brunette let out an evil laugh as she struck the white ball, sending the 8 ball right in the pocket. “WHOO!” She pumped her arms in the air before giving her stomach a high-five. 

       “You just got lucky,” the redhead grumbled. 

       “That, my friend, is called  _ skill _ ,” she corrected, leaning against the edge and crossing her arms. “Now. What do I want you two unfortunate souls to do?” 

       Nicole’s heart quickened in her chest as she waited with bated breath for what she wanted them to do. Nothing good was going to come out of it, she knew that for sure. 

       An evil grin worked its way up Wynonna’s face and the couple’s eyes widened. “Here’s what’s gonna happen.” She stood up straight and rubbed her hands together menacingly. “Waves,  _ you  _ are gonna change into her clothes and  _ you _ are going to change into Wave’s. And you both have to stay like that for the  _ rest _ of the night.” 

       They both looked towards each other, tracing their eyes over one another’s outfits. They had expected something _way_ worse knowing Wynonna, but it was still going to be weird, for they were different sizes. “Ooh boy,” Nicole muttered, trying to figure out how she was going to fit into those tiny-ass skinny jeans. 

       “Let’s go,” Waverly said, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the stairs. They went up and she let them into her old room, locking the door behind them and pinning Nicole against it, jumping at her mouth. 

       The redhead gripped her hips, sliding her hands down the back of her jeans and squeezing her ass roughly. Waverly let out a heavy breath, biting onto her lip as she ripped the beanie off her head. A hiss escaped the Officer's mouth as she pushed herself off of the door and walked them towards the bed. 

       The brunette quickly undid all the buttons on her shirt, flinging the sides open and dropping to her knees to run her mouth all over her abs. “Well, damn,” Nicole breathed with a laugh, pushing her hand through her hair as she unzipped her jeans. 

       Waverly yanked them down to her knees, popping up to her feet and shoving her back onto the twin-sized bed. She practically ripped her lacey maroon long-sleeved crop top and jeans off before jumping into her lap, shoving her tongue back into her mouth like there was no tomorrow. “You look so fucking hot tonight, I’ve been horny since you got here.” She unzipped the front of her sports bra, wrapping her lips around her left nipple. 

       “Yea, well, I was  _ this _ close to getting off when you were grinding on me earlier, so if that tells you where  _ I’m _ at right now.” She unclasped the hook of Waverly’s bra, tossing it to the floor and untangling herself from her own shirt and bra. Waverly flipped around and went to tug her shoes off. “ _ Gentle _ ."

       She huffed as she pulled them off with care. “ _$300 fucking shoes_.” She got her pants all the way off and turned back around. 

       “220, actually,” she corrected. The brunette rolled her eyes, shoving two fingers into her as she kissed down her neck. “ _ Fuck _ ,” Nicole growled, hips jumping to meet her hand. She smirked, pulling them out and moving to straddle her legs. After lining herself up with the Officer’s, she dropped her body forward to meet her mouth as she began to roll her hips around. 

       The redhead dug her fingers into the bend of her hip and thigh, coaxing them in all different directions. The brunette sped it up, rocking back and forth as her hands attached to the Deputy’s breast. She let out a quiet moan, lifting her head to meet Nicole’s eyes, who was staring at her with her mouth dropped open, neck and face flushed with pleasure. "Waver-" Her eyes snapped close with a sharp inhale. " _ Fuck _ , don't-" 

       Any air that would let her speak was ripped right out of her lungs as a tidal wave crashed over her. Waverly pushed her face into her neck in an attempt to quiet her moans as her own cum spilled out all over the redhead. 

       The Officer ran her hands up her back, sucking light marks into her shoulder as Waverly gathered herself enough to lift her head. "Shit," she breathed with a laugh. 

       A grin crept onto Nicole's face as she sat up and dropped them back down so she was on top. "Round two." She shifted herself onto the smaller girl's thigh and pushed a finger through her soaked folds. 

       "Nicole," Waverly cried, body arching off the mattress as the redhead rolled her finger around her still-sensitive bud, nipping at her pulse point. 

       "Yea?" She husked, tracing the tip of her tongue up her jaw bone, staring into her dark forest eyes. The younger girl grabbed her by the back of the neck, crashing their lips together as she rocked into her hand. The taller girl quickly pushed a finger into her, adding another after a few pumps. 

       Nicole slid her free hand behind her head as she writhed beneath her, resting it at the base of her skull. “ _ Fuck me _ ,” the brunette muttered under her breath, digging her fingers into her bicep. 

       “I’m working on it,” the redhead smirked, winking at her from above her nipple. Waverly rolled her eyes, smacking her ass with a grip. Nicole pumped her fingers faster, curling them upward as her breathing got heavier. Her own chest began to heave as she ground harder into her thigh. 

       Waverly’s eyes closed as she felt her walls start to flutter and she gripped the bedsheets, knowing she was teetering over the edge. But she felt the redhead seize her movements against her thigh after a groan, so she opened them a little. 

       The Officer was now sitting up, pumping her hand quickly into the smaller girl. Her other hand, though, was busy spazzing around in between her own legs, strangled pants escaping her throat. Waverly’s eyes widened at the sight, watching her abs flex above the skin harder than she had ever seen them before. 

       It took her a second to realize she had hit her climax, but when she did,  _ oh _ , she did. Her eyes rolled back as her brain short-circuited. And at this point, she couldn’t tell if the moans were her’s or Nicole’s. 

       She felt her weight drop onto her front as her body melted into the bed. Her eyes opened and she looked down at the Deputy’s face. Nicole smirked, sticking her right fingers in her mouth and her left in Waverly’s. “I wanted to get there together,” she mumbled into her chest. 

       “Do you hear me complaining?” 

       Nicole rolled off the bed, shaking her head jokingly at her as she began to collect their clothes from around the room. The brunette watched on, smiling at the perfect balance of athletic tones and feminine curves of her body. 

       She set them in two separate piles on the bed. “We can wear our own bras, right?” 

       Waverly snorted, picking up her own and snapping it on. “You’re tits are just going to fall out of this and I don’t need you flashing anyone.” 

       “Fair point.” They both pulled their own bras and underwear on, standing in front of one another. “Ok . . .” She picked up Waverly’s jeans and held them up in front of her legs. This was the only time she would ever be upset that her girlfriend was so tiny. Just the width of her hip bones  _ alone _ would make these a tight squeeze, not to mention how she also had a butt and actual hips to think about. “If these rip, I’m sorry.” 

       Waverly laughed as she buttoned Nicole’s white shirt up on herself. The redhead sat down on the edge of the bed and began to tug the legs up. She got them up each leg and stood, yanking them up a little higher. And with some jumping and wiggling, she got them up to a point where she could button them. They were high-waisted on the smaller girl but didn’t even go above Nicole’s hips and the bottoms came up about 3-4 inches above her ankles. She turned and picked up the shirt as Waverly pulled Nicole’s jeans up with ease. “That was a workout." 

       “Ooo, you need to wear my pants all the time if they’re gonna make your ass look  _ that  _ good.”

       “I can  _ barely _ move my legs.” She pulled the crop top on, yanking the sleeves up her arms. It wasn’t as bad considering that it was supposed to be loose on the normal person who would wear it. But with her long torso, wide shoulders, and toned arms, it hugged her body, coming to rest  _ just _ below her boobs. 

       The brunette giggled, running her hand down her exposed stomach. The light blue band of her briefs stuck out like a sore thumb against the dark maroon and blacks of the rest of the outfit. “I love it.” 

       “I do not,” she mumbled, already feeling the circulation to her feet being cut off. "Now you, on the other hand . . ." 

       The ripped jeans on Waverly fit like normal jeans would, but were a little baggy around her ankles. And the button-down hung loosely on her, especially considering that she kept the top three buttons opened. And the beanie. Well. Anytime Waverly wore a beanie, Nicole almost had a heart attack. And the same applied for now. 

       She blushed as the Deputy's eyes traced up and down her body, that hunger already back in her eyes. She sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed the Jordans, looking them over with wide eyes for a second. "What size shoe do you wear?! Jeez." 

       "10s in Women's," she smirked. "Those are 8 and a half cause they're Men's." She slowly eased herself into a sitting position next to her and picked up Waverly's black combat boots, blinking at them. 

       "Yea, good luck in those 7s, Bigfoot." 

       She groaned, shoving her foot into the tiny shoe. "You need to grow some." 

       "Have you ever considered that maybe  _ you _ need to shrink?" 

       "Oh, so now you're calling me fat, huh?" She said with a laugh as she stood up. 

       " _ No _ . Shut up." She smacked her stomach before walking over to the door, still getting used to the clown shoes on her feet.  

       Many questioning stares traced over the two as they returned to the bar. They walked over to the table where Doc and Wynonna were still at, seeing how the older Earp had her back to them. 

       Doc must have looked up and seen them walking over because his eyes went wide as he gestured to them with a laugh. Wynonna turned her head, mouth dropping open with a wide smile. "Oh my God, this is the  _ best _ thing I have  _ ever _ seen." She stood up and walked around them, looking them up and down. “I always forget you’ve got these, Haught Bod,” she mumbled, poking her finger into her abs. 

       “Thank you, Wynonna,” she sighed, rolling her eyes as she slid her finger around the hem of the jeans in hope to get some relief from the tightness. 

       Wynonna suddenly stopped walking as she thought about  _ how long _ it took them to change. “You two just fucked, didn’t you?” She asked with narrowed eyes. 

       “ _ No _ .” “Of course we did.” 

       Waverly snapped her head towards Nicole wide-eyed, smacking her arm. “Sorry, I didn’t realize that was a secret,” she mumbled with a laugh. 

       Wynonna’s lip hitched and she turned away, shaking her head. “You two are nymphomaniacs, I swear.” 

       Her sister’s mouth dropped open in offense. Nicole let out a single laugh. “That’s a big word for you, Earp.” 

       “You better watch it or my cankle is gonna be up your ass.” 

       The redhead turned her head at the sound of a familiar gruff voice. “Haught, what the hell are you wearing?” 

       A toothy smile pushed onto her face. “Hi, Nedley . . .” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole pulled the Jeep up to the house and climbed out. She had just got done with some last-minute Christmas Eve grocery shopping. She grabbed the five bazillion bags out of the trunk  _ and  _ passenger seat because  _ God knows _ she was _not_ going to be making two trips. She stumbled up to the porch and pushed the door open, her senses being overloaded by the smell of cookies and the sound of the brunette singing along to Hallelujah from the kitchen as she made said cookies. 

       She set all the bags down on the free part on the counter and smiled as she dropped her hands gently to her hips from behind, pushing a kiss into her cheek and resting her chin on her shoulder as she rolled some cookie balls and set them on a baking sheet. “Jeremy called,” she mumbled, pressing another kiss to the side of her face. 

       “Yea . . . You two talk almost every day.” 

       Nicole pursed her lips, tipping her head towards her. 

       “Sorry, sorry.” She cleared her throat. “What did Jeremy call you for, Dear?” 

       “ _ Well _ . . . He was wondering if he could bring his  _ boyfriend _ with him tomorrow,” she informed. 

       The smaller girl’s eyebrows went up and she turned around in her arms, leaning back against the counter. “ _ Jeremy _ has a boyfriend?” She questioned. “We’re talking about Jeremy Chetri here, correct?” 

       She chuckled, crossing her ankles and leaning on her hands that were on the edges of the countertop on either side of her body. “Apparently he  _ does _ ,” she confirmed. “His names Robin . . . something, I don’t remember. He was squealing too much.” 

       “Robin Jett?” 

       “Yea, that’s it. You know him?” 

       She laughed a little. “If by know him, you mean that he realized he was gay after spending 7 minutes in Heaven with me at some high school party, then  _ yes _ , I know him.” 

       Nicole’s eyes widened. “What year was  _ that _ ?” 

       “Junior, I think?” She guessed with a shrug. “. . . Yea, cause he was dating Chrissy at the time.”

       She shook her head around at all of this  _ interesting  _ information. “Wait, so  _ he  _ was with Chrissy and  _ you _ were with . . . Champ?” 

       “Mhm. But Chrissy wasn’t there because her dad’s the Sheriff so she wasn’t allowed at barely any high school parties, so she still doesn’t know. And Champ let me go cause he was convinced he was a . . . long series of all those  _ fun  _ words.”

       The redhead’s jaw hardened and she slowly nodded. “ _ Nice _ .” 

       Waverly stood up straight, rubbing her hands up and down her sides. Nicole stepped back with a hiss. “Sorry,” she cringed, knowing that she had  _ dropped a weight on her ribs _ a few days ago, or at least that’s what she had told her. Why she hadn’t let her see it, she didn’t know. 

       Nicole leaned forward, pushing a kiss to her lips. “I’m ok,” she mumbled into them, having noticed the worry in her eyes. “So, you’re fine with Robin, though, right?” 

       “Yea, totally! We became really good friends after all he came out and all,” she assured with a smile.

       “Mk, good.” She walked over and began to put all the food away, sneaking one of the cookies that was sitting out to cool when she wasn’t looking. 

       Though she got a smack when Waverly turned to grab something and noticed her chipmunk cheeks. 

       She laughed, running off to the bathroom as she tried to come at her with the spatula for the second time when she caught her eating another. “You better watch yourself, Haught!” The brunette warned from outside the door. 

       She smirked with a sigh, pushing her hand through her hair as she looked at herself in the mirror. She took a step closer to it and pulled her jacket off, rolling the bottom of her t-shirt up and turning to look at her left side. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all fools been getting a lot of smut lately, you should be thankful that these two are always all over each other.


	63. Little Bird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a WayHaught Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Barely 3,000 words is unacceptable, I KNOW, OK?

       The white light of the cloudy morning shone through the bedroom window and Waverly was the first to stir under the arm draped across her stomach. She rolled to her side and rubbed her eyes, opening then to look at the Officer's still sleeping face smushed against the pillow. She smiled, scooting so she was pressed against her. 

       Nicole hugged her arm tighter around her a few seconds before her eyes actually opened, blinking open at her rather chipper morning face. Waverly smiled, tilting her head up and pushing a kiss to her lips as she almost went back to sleep. 

       That certainly woke her up. 

       The redhead rolled onto her right side to face her, gently running her nails up her waist. 

       "Merry Christmas," Waverly smiled. 

       "'Erry 'Ristma'," she mumbled, voice sticking to her throat. The brunette giggled, leaning in for another kiss. 

       After they took a few more minutes to wake up, they stumbled out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Waverly got some ingredients out as Nicole curled the blanket around herself, sitting down at the island, holding her coffee cup in her hands. “When’re they getting here?” She yawned. 

       “9, Wynonna said.” 

       They all had decided to celebrate Christmas at the Earp-Haught household this year for whatever reason, and that included Christmas morning presents, too. And being the 9-year-old that Nicole was, she was not too happy about having to wait another hour staring at all the boxes under the tree without being able to touch them. 

       “They need to hurry up,” she grumbled, leaning her head on her arm. 

       “Ya know, you could  _ help _ me while you are waiting,” the smaller girl suggested.

       “I  _ could _ ,” Nicole sighed with a nod, staying put in her chair. Waverly threw her a warning look over her shoulder and she jumped right up, walking over to help her with breakfast. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       After Wynonna, Doc, and Gus arrived, they dug into breakfast, the majority of them going back for seconds thanks to Waverly’s amazing cooking skills.

       After they finished, Waverly and Gus cleaned up the kitchen as Nicole sat “patiently” on the couch, Doc laid on the floor to play with Calamity Jane and the little mouse toy he got her, and Wynonna kicked back in the recliner to catch a quick nap. 

       “Ok. Are we ready?” The brunette asked, walking towards the living room and drying her hands off. 

       The gunslinger scrambled up onto the recliner next to Wynonna. “ _ Yes _ ,” him and Nicole both confirmed with huge grins. 

       Waverly rolled her eyes, setting her towel on the island before walking over and hitting her sister on the face a few times to wake her up. “Presents, get up.” 

       Her eyes shot open and she sat up, now completely alert. “‘M ready.” 

       They all gathered around, watching the artificial Christmas tree that slowly spun because apparently  _ that was necessary _ , in Nicole’s opinion, when they went out and got one.  They began to slowly tear through them as the Christmas music hummed lowly in the background. 

       Wynonna crawled to the tree to fish out a present that had gotten pushed back a little, reading the label on it. "To CJ, from Mommies." She slowly lifted her head, blinking at the couple. 

       Waverly squealed, grabbing the present from her hand as Nicole picked the cat up from her resting position on Gus' lap. She got a meow in complaint as Waverly ripped it open, holding the ugly Christmas sweater for her up in front of her face. Nicole held her steady as the brunette slipped it on her, cooing to her about how dainty she looked as she tried to escape the redhead's grasp. 

       "That poor cat," Wynonna mumbled, fishing out the next present. "Huh, would ya look at that. To Haught Pocket, from  _ yours truly _ ." 

       Nicole let Calamity go and she scurried over, shielding herself from them with Gus. She grabbed the large box from her hand and began to pull the paper off. "I feel like I should be scared." 

       “Oh no,” Waverly murmured, looking down at it once she got it opened. 

       “Oh  _ yes _ ,” Nicole smirked. 

       They both looked up at the sound of more paper ripping and Nicole’s smirk grew as Waverly’s glare hardened. 

       There Wynonna and Nicole sat, both with the newly released  _ humongous  _ Nerf Guns that they certainly were going to be having  _ too much _ fun with in the future sitting on their laps. “You two are going to break something with those if you play in the house,” the brunette grumbled. 

       “Probably each other,” Doc chuckled. 

       “Did you seriously wrap a present for yourself?” Gus asked, tipping her head at Wynonna. 

       “Of course I did. That’s the fun part,” she grinned, grabbing the next present. “Waves.” She handed it to her. “From yo baby momma.” 

       They both scrunched their faces up at her. “Ew.” 

       Waverly looked down at it before looking up at the redhead, drumming her fingers on her legs that were laying across her lap. “What is it?” She mock-whispered, gently shaking it near her ear. 

       “I dunno,” Nicole shrugged with a smirk. “Open it and find out.” 

       She raised a questioning brow at her as she tore through it, eyes widening at the box.    


       Now. There was nothing Waverly loved _more_ than a good hardback book. There was just something about the feeling of one in her hands that she had always yearned for. But now that she was a college student (again) that had about 40 books that she was reading all at once, it was kinda hard to lug said 40 books around with her all the time. Not to mention her countless trips to the library. 

       So when the Officer had heard her mention  _ once _ about two months ago that she’d love to have a Kindle to reduce her stress levels a fraction, she jumped  _ right  _ on that gun. 

       “How’d you know?!” The brunette exclaimed. 

       “I guess I am just a very observant listener,” she sighed with a proud grin on her face. 

       Waverly gave her some heart-eyes before leaning into a soft kiss. “Thank you, Baby.” 

       “You’re welcome,” she mumbled back into her lips.  

       “ _ Holy shit _ , this is heavy,” Wynonna gawked, plopping a larger box on Gus’ lap. “From Babygirl and Haughty.” 

       “What by  _ don’t get me anything _ did you two not understand,” she huffed. 

       “And what by  _ no, we’re getting you something _ did  _ you _ not understand?” The brunette questioned with a smile. 

       She shook her head at her, pulling the paper off. “Well, I’ll be damned.” 

       There was only one thing that Gus loved more than cooking, and it was baking. And being the old soul that she was, she liked to do everything manually. She realized that as she got older, stirring cake batter and such by hand was not as easy as it used to be. 

       So the stand mixer sitting on her lap was the  _ perfect  _ gift to keep her hobby alive. “Thank you, Girls,” she said with an overjoyed smile.    


       “You’re welcome,” they giggled as Nicole set the box on the floor for her. 

 

       The number of presents under the tree slowly faded as time passed with laughs and smiles all around. “Ok, next.” Wynonna grabbed the next one that was to her and Doc from Nicole and Waverly. She walked over to the recliner on her knees, handing it to him to open as she peered over his arms. 

       “Woah,” they both mumbled at the same time. 

       Doc began to thumb through a couple of the pages, looking up at the couple in awe. “This is wonderful.” 

       The gift had actually been Nicole’s idea. She remembered that her parents had filled a baby book for her that contained all of her firsts, special memories, and so on. They figured that one of them would be perfect for the Baby Earp on the way. 

       “Guys,” Wynonna mumbled. “This is really sweet.” 

       “I already stuck all the ultrasounds in there,” Waverly smiled. 

       Wynonna pushed herself up off the floor and walked over to them, wrapping them each in an annoyingly tight hug. They groaned, tapping on her arms for release. She gave in, letting them go, but not without pushing a wet kiss into their cheeks first. 

       Waverly wiped her cheek with her sleeve as her sister sat herself back down in front of the tree, grabbing the next present. Her heart rate quickened. 

       “Haught Shit, it’s your turn,” she smirked, handing her the box from Waverly. 

       “Ooooo,” she grinned at her as she began to open it. Her brow hitched as she looked down at the shoebox that her Jordans came in. She lifted the lid and a loud gasp left her throat. Scooting back, she pulled her legs criss-cross as she quickly removed the blue Rangers jersey that was neatly folded in it. She turned it around to look at the back, jaw hitting the floor. “ _ WAVE _ !” 

       Waverly  _ could  _ have just gotten her one with their catcher’s name or something on the back. But that was boring. So she had ordered a custom one that said Haught. 

       “How’d you know that was my number?” She asked with a huge smile, tracing her finger over the 96. 

       “I looked it up,” she shrugged. 

       She giggled as she bounced her legs, leaning into a kiss. “I love you.” 

       The brunette pushed against her shoulder after a second. “Look at the lid,” she whispered. 

       She furrowed her brow, looking down at the top of it. “What?” 

       Waverly huffed, lifting it up a little. “The inside, Dummy.” Nicole opened it all the way, seeing her neat handwriting Sharpied across the inside. 

**April 28, 29, + 30**

**Rangers vs Astros**

**@  Globe Life Park**

       Nicole’s eyes popped right out of their sockets. She snapped her head up to meet her eyes before tossing the box off of her lap and barrelling her over with a hug as she squealed incoherent words right in her ear. 

       Waverly laughed as the Officer raised her head with a smile that could blind you, cupping her cheeks as she met her lips with every bit of love she could deliver. 

       “I don’t think Gus wants you making out on her leg,” Wynonna mumbled. The older woman threw a ball of wrapping paper at her as the couple pulled away from one another. Nicole pushed herself off of her girlfriend with a wince, leaning back against the arm of the couch and touching her hand against her left side. 

       “ _ Nicole _ .” Waverly took her wrist and turned her sideways, grabbing the bottom of her shirt. “You’re gonna let me see what the hell you- . . .  _ did _ .” The redhead had surprisingly _not_ resisted this time when she hitched it up. 

       When she had told her that she had dropped a weight on herself, she had only believed it about 75%. She didn’t know why, but she just had her suspicions that something else had happened. And it didn’t help her cause that she hadn’t once let her see it over the past five days. 

       But this?

       She had  _ definitely  _ not expected this. 

       “Nic . . .” She breathed softly as she ran a few fingers just below it, leaning forward for a closer look. 

       Her best guess had previously been that she had gotten hurt at work and didn’t want to tell her about it. 

       But she hadn’t. 

       She actually hadn’t gotten hurt _at all_. 

       Nicole Haught, of course, had gotten a  _ tattoo _ . 

       On the side of her rib cage now sat a blue and white Hokusai-esk wave towering over its thick black upside down triangle border that contained the purple to red to orange ombre sky in the background.

       “Now my Waves’ll always be close to my heart,” she mumbled with a smile. 

       The brunette looked up at her with soft, teary eyes, crawling onto her lap and wrapping her in a hug. Nicole pushed her face into her shoulder, opening her eyes for a second to look behind her at Wynonna, who shot her a wink, for she had gone with her when she got it drawn up  _ and _ when she got it inked on. 

       The smaller girl sat back after a few seconds and Nicole wiped under her eyes. She let out a small huff with a smile. “C’mon, Nic. I wanted to give the best Christmas present.” 

       Her eyebrows shot up. “Dude, you  _ so _ gave the best Christmas present, what do you mean?! We get to go to _Dallas_!” 

       “Nuh-uh,” Gus cut in. “You _ both _ gave the best Christmas present. Do y’all know how much I’m gonna be baking for all of you now? Nicole ain’t gonna be able to run anymore.” 

       The room erupted into laughter and the redhead shook her head at her, knowing damn well she knew she had a hard time resisting her baking. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly and Nicole stood at the sink, beginning to wash up the huge pile of dishes from their Christmas lunch before the redhead had to leave. “I can’t believe you have to work on  _ Christmas _ ,” the brunette grumbled. 

       “Someone’s gotta do it,” she shrugged, smearing some bubbles on the side of her face. Waverly scoffed, grabbing a heap and getting her back. “Oh, you wanna go?” She scooped some up and Waverly scurried off with a shriek. In three big steps and an evil laugh, she had her arm wrapped around her front and was smearing them all over her face with her free hand.

       “ _ You got them in my mouth _ !” She gagged, wiggling out of her grip and wiping her tongue off with her sleeve. The Deputy laughed with an apology as she pouted her lip at her. “Meanie.” She poked her bony finger into her side. 

       “ _ Ow _ !” Nicole hissed, lifting her uniform up to look at it. 

       The brunette smiled, leaning her hip against the island as she admired it some more. “It’s really beautiful, Nic.” 

       She smiled. “Topher did a really good job.” 

       “Topher did it?!” 

       She nodded. “He’s been egging me to get one since I started with the Devils at the cages.” 

       “And you’re really bad with peer pressure,” she mused. 

       She rolled her eyes playfully. “D’you know he’s tattooed Drake  _ and  _ Justin Bieber?”

       “Really?” She questioned, raising her eyebrows. 

       “Mhm. His shop’s one of the top 5 in Canada, I think he said.” 

       “Well, seeing how fricking  _ gorgeous  _ this is, I’m not surprised,” she mumbled, running her hand down her front as she dipped her head even closer to it. She would stare at it all day long if she could. 

       “You see the little bird?” She asked, pointing towards the top left at the tiny squiggly line bird. 

       “ _ Little bird _ ,” she cooed. 

       “Wynonna made me put it in there. She says I have to name it after her.” 

       Waverly laughed, standing up straight. Nicole grabbed her waist, pulling her into a soft kiss as she leaned back against the counter. 

       “ _ Woah _ !” 

       They pulled away and Waverly looked around the redhead with a cocked eyebrow, seeing a very scared Jeremy with Robin in tow. “What?” She questioned. Nicole pulled her shirt where it had gotten stuck rolled up down, turning around to look at him with the same confusement. 

       “I thought you were . . .” His wide eyes finished the sentence for him. 

       “If we wanted to get a quicky in, we would at  _ least  _ have the decency to go in the other room,” Nicole snorted. 

       Waverly threw her a look as her face reddened, turning back to the dishes. “I was looking at her tattoo some more, Jer,” she informed. 

       “ _ TATTOO _ ?!” 

       She turned towards the redhead with raised eyebrows. “You didn’t tell _him_ of all people?” 

       She laughed a little. “He has a  _ small  _ problem with secrets,” she mock-whispered, walking around the island towards them and pulling her shirt up to show him. 

       “Holy abs,” Robin said quietly, probably accidentally out loud. 

       “ _ Right _ ?” Waverly and Jeremy smirked at the same time. The Deputy rolled her eyes. 

       “That’s really sick, Nicky,” the shorter man smiled. 

       She ruffled her hand through his hair, walking back over to Waverly and tucking her uniform shirt back in her pants. “Ima get going, Babe,” she mumbled as she pressed a kiss into her cheek. 

       The younger girl frowned, turning around and tucking her fingers into her belt. “Noo.” 

       “I sowwy,” she pouted, pushing their foreheads together. “We can play that new Mario game when I get home tonight?” 

       A small smile tugged at her lips as she leaned up into a kiss. “I love you.” 

       “Love you, too. Call me if y’all need anything.” And with that, she turned towards the door, saying a goodbye to everyone gathered in the living room.

 

       Nicole pulled up to the station and walked inside, glancing in Nedley’s office as she walked past. She did a double-take, turning back and stopping at the door. “Sir?” The Sheriff lifted his head from his hands with a look on his face that she had never seen before. “What’s wrong?” 

       “Come here and sit down,” he mumbled, rubbing his fingers on his stubble. She furrowed her brow as she walked in and sat down in front of his desk. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly smiled as she heard the front door open from the bedroom as she repainted her nails from red and green for Christmas to blue and gold for New Year’s. Nicole entered a few seconds later, pushing the door open all the way with her foot and setting the two large boxes she was carrying on the end of the bed. “More presents, Officer Haught?” The brunette joked with a laugh. 

       She stood up straight and rubbed her hands up and down her cheeks nervously a few times. “Make that  _ Sheriff  _ Haught.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I OOP


	64. Make It Stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Big boy ruh rohs

       Waverly stopped painting mid-toe, quickly looking up at her. “ _ What _ ?” 

       “Nedley resigned,” she mumbled as she began to strip out of her uniform. 

       “ _ What _ ?!” 

       “So now I’m Sheriff.” 

       The brunette jumped off the bed, grabbing onto her upper arms. “Hold on a second, you’re Sheriff?! Just like that?!” 

       “He resigned. It’s like President and Vice President or whatever. And apparently I was his Vice President.” She pulled on the t-shirt in her hand and sat down on the hardwood, hugging her knees to her chest. 

       Waverly dropped down in front of her. “Yea, I knew that, but why in the world did he resign?!” 

       Nicole lifted her head up. “What do you mean you knew that?” She questioned confusedly. 

       “He told me a while ago,” she said, waving it off. “But why’d he resign, Nic?” 

       “ _ What _ ?! When?!” 

       “Right after we started dating when we got into that fight and you yelled at me and I started crying. He mentioned it when I went and yelled at him for letting you work after Wynonna gave you a concussion.” Nicole’s face fell at the mention of what transpired on that day. “Quit, I’m just saying that’s when.  _ BUT _ why did he resign, Nicole?!” 

       She pursed her lips for a second before starting. “Apparently few kids went missing on his watch yesterday and he went off the rails. Didn’t even call backup, just walked through the woods for 5 hours by himself  _ dressed as Santa _ until he found them sliding around on a frozen stream that was near one of their houses where the woods opened up. . . I don’t know what’s wrong with him.” 

       Her brows furrowed. That seemed  _ nothing  _ like Nedley. “Dang.” 

       Nicole chewed heavily on her lip. “Wave, how the  _ fuck _ am I going to be  _ Sheriff _ ?” 

       “Baby.” She slid closer to her and took her hands with a crooked smile. “You are going to be the  _ perfect  _ Sheriff.” 

       “How?! I’ve been a cop for  _ not even _ three years! I don’t know what I’m doing! He said he’s only going to train me until the first! And after that, this town’s gonna go to  _ shit  _ and it's gonna be  _ my _ fault. I can’t-”

       “Hey, shh.” She ran her hands up and down her legs. “It’s ok, shh.” The redhead was shaking like a leaf and her breath began to come in sharply. “Oh, Baby. D’you take your meds yet?” She shook her head. Waverly pushed herself off the ground and grabbed it and the water bottle that was sitting next to it on the nightstand. She returned to the floor, pouring one out into her hand and taking the lid off the bottle, handing them each to her. “What’d I say about taking it with you if you’re working past 11, huh?” She said gently, pushing her hand through her hair as Nicole took it and moved herself onto her lap.

       The redhead’s anxiety always spiked if she took her meds late, and considering that she was a  _ cop _ , that usually  _ wasn’t  _ a good thing. Sometimes it would just be stress in general and she’d end up freaking out over whatever was causing it, but other times it would be little things. They had once been binging some show into the AM and she had accidentally stepped on Waverly’s foot when they were moving to the bedroom and proceeded to have a panic attack in fear that she had hurt her even though she had barely even felt it. 

       Not that she shouldn’t be anxious about her situation right now, though, but since it was 2 in the morning, it was freaking her out more than it normally would have. 

       Her breathing steadied after listening to Waverly’s heartbeat for a minute. “I usually do,” she mumbled. 

       Waverly got them both off the floor and moved everything off the bed, flicking the light off and laying down. Nicole laid down, rolling herself on top of her and pushing her head into her neck with a sleepy sigh. “What’s even in those boxes?” 

       “My new uniform,” she mumbled, already half-asleep from the way her hand was running up and down her spine. The brunette’s eyes widened, knowing what her  _ last  _ uniform change did to her. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly swung her feet as she sat at the island, screwing around with the Kindle before she had to get ready for her shift later in the morning. She glanced up at the sound of the redhead’s boots coming down the hall. “What time is it, Babe?” Nicole asked. She looked up from tying her tie when she heard Waverly choking on her coffee. 

       She stumbled off of her seat, spitting out the bit that hadn’t slid down the wrong pipe into the sink, coughing so hard that one of her lungs just might come up. 

       Nicole walked over and rubbed her back, looking down at her with worry in her creased brow. “You ok?” She asked after she calmed down, wiping the tears that had forced themselves out off of her oxygen-deprived face. 

       “No,” she huffed.

       “Why? What’s wrong?” 

       She walked back over to where she was sitting, hopping back onto the chair and turning around to face her. “Now I have to look at you in a tie every day and  _ not _ want to fuck you senseless!” She traced her eyes over the new uniform again. The light blue button-down. The black pants. The brown combat boots. The  _ fucking _ tie. 

       Nicole laughed, sauntering over to her and pushing her hands up her bare thighs, letting them come to rest on her waist. “Well, you can  _ want  _ all you want, Darlin’,” she drawled with a smirk before letting them continue up her shirt and leaning closer to her face. “But that’s an  _ after-work _ activity.” Once she saw her pupils blow, she pulled her hands back and stood up straight, giving her a quick kiss on the tip of the nose with an innocent smile. She grabbed a granola bar out of the cabinet, poured herself some coffee, and walked towards the door, shooting her a wink with a wave before heading off. 

       Waverly picked her jaw up off the floor after a minute, trying to push away the burning sensation her hands left from sliding up her body. She ran her fingers through her hair, letting a breath out slowly. 

       Today was gonna be a  _ long _ day. 

 

**___**

 

       Nicole balled up the wrapper from the granola bar as she climbed out of her cruiser and headed inside. The daily commotion of the Deputies chatting with one another seemed to silence as she entered the pit, all eyes falling on her. 

       She slowed to a stop, tracing her eyes around all of the faces. She figured the news around the block had been filled with her name and they had been just as shocked as she was when she first heard it. But judging by their faces, they weren't happy. 

       She took a sip of her coffee, blinking at them for a few more seconds. "Ima be buying pizza with gluten from now on." 

       It took a moment, but small grins worked their way onto all of their faces. And before she knew it, they were all surrounding her with congratulations. She walked through the huddle with a smirk, already feeling the sting from all the smacks on the back she got. She started for the break room to refill her cup before she started with Nedley. 

       " _ Get the  _ fuck  _ down here _ !" 

       Nicole stopped  _ dead  _ in her tracks a foot past the Sheriff’s door after hearing that voice, feeling every single hair on her body stand up as the air was ripped out of her lungs. The travel mug fell from her hand, lid popping off and sending coffee everywhere. Her vision went fuzzy and she stumbled back a step, gripping the doorframe to keep her upright as she looked into his office. 

       The sound of the hand smacking against the doorframe made Nedley’s head shoot up from his zoned state staring at his computer screen. He paused what he was listening to, staring in horror at her ghost-white face. She was looking at him, but not  _ at  _ him. Whatever she was seeing in front of her eyes was definitely not reality. 

       The man rushed around his desk and moved towards her. “You’re not supposed to be here for another 10 minutes, goddammit,” he muttered to himself. She quickly brought her hands up to shield her face as he got within a few feet of her, stumbling back a few steps. He stopped abruptly, putting his hands up slightly. “Hey. It’s just me, Kid. I’m not gonna hurt ya.” 

       “Noo,” she whined just above a whisper.

       “Nicole, it’s ok.” He took a small step closer to her. She backed up again, dropping her arms with feared eyes, stumbling over to the main desk and sliding underneath the inside. He swallowed hard, rubbing his hand on his forehead nervously as he brought his radio to his face. “All units clear the building. Go make yourself useful somewhere else.” 

       Lonnie and Wagner walked out from the break room where they were doing a bunch of work  _ sticking dollars in the vending machine _ . “What’s going on, Sheriff?” Wagner asked. 

       “Everything’s fine, Son. Get going.” He waved him towards the door and the blonde sighed, heading out behind Lonnie. 

       Once the last of the building cleared, he slowly walked around the desk, keeping himself close to the wall in hope to not freak her out anymore. She had herself pushed as far into the corner as she could fit, hugging her knees closely to her chest. His heart shattered into pieces, for he knew this was his fault. And he had no idea what to do.

       The redhead must have seen his boots slowly coming around towards her because she let out a series of repeated terrified no’s. He stopped, turning back to where he had been standing as he pulled his phone out. 

       “Hey, Nedley!” Waverly answered cheerfully. 

       “How fast can you get here?” He asked shakily, getting straight to the point.

       “Wh-What? Why?” 

       “I think Nicole’s havin’ some sort of . . . PTSD flashback? She’s hiding under a desk, terrified of me.” 

       He heard a car door and the immediate start of the engine. “ _ Jesus fucking-  _ What happened!?” 

       The man was quiet as he a chill of guilt make its way up his spine. “. . . She heard her father’s voice on her 911 call.” 

       " _ WHAT _ ?!" 

       "I-I'll explain when you get here. But, please, just get here." 

       "Y-Yea, Sheriff, I'm already on my way." 

       He let out a breath as he hung the phone up, the crease of worry in his brow getting tighter by the minute. 

       After a couple of minutes pacing up and down the pit, the brunette rushed through the doors with concern written all over her face. "Where's she at?" She questioned, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth as she stopped in front of him. 

       He gestured over to the main desk and she glanced over at it. "Waverly, I had no idea she was here yet. I wouldn't-" 

       "How do you even  _ have _ that, Randy?! Did you just  _ dig _ through her life trauma?!"

       He pursed his lips. "I still have access to the DPD archives." 

       "The Dallas Police Department archives?" She questioned, more to herself than to him. "How?" By the look on his face she could tell that he was genuinely upset about what was happening, but she was just confused about why he had let it happen in the first place. 

       "That's why I was listening to it. I was going to talk to her about . . . how I know about what happened that day." 

       "How you know what happened that day?-" Her eyes shot open as she comprehended what he was implying. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You were there?" 

       Randy's eyes grew soft and he opened his mouth to answer, but they were pulled from their conversation by the choked sob coming from the desk. Waverly clenched her jaw, looking towards him nervously as she slowly walked over and slid down the wall to sit in front of her. 

       She didn’t know what she had expected to see, so it immediately ripped her heart to shreds. The redhead’s body was tightened, but shaking, from head to toe and her knees were still to her chest. Her eyes were locked on  _ who knows what _ , not blinking whatsoever. Her jaw was clenched tightly through her whined no’s and stop’s that she had seemed to be repeating, and the area below her eye twitched every few seconds, sending the tears that were rolling down her cheeks off course. She also noticed on the quick once over of her body that she had scratched a bleeding cut into the top of her left hand from the way her right pointer finger was moving up and down it subconsciously. 

       Waverly did have to thank herself, though. Soon after Nicole had first told her about her PTSD, she had done some reading up on it, knowing that she wanted to be educated on basically every aspect of it because, well, she’s Waverly. And in doing so, she learned the basics on how to bring someone engulfed in a flashback back to reality. And at this point, she had only had to wake her from a number of nightmares that she could count on her hands so this was the first time she had ever had to.

       She let out a breath, trying to calm herself down as much as possible. “Nicole.” Nothing. She swallowed her nerves again as she began to repeat her name every few seconds for a couple of minutes. 

       “Nic.”  _ Blink _ . A little relief lifted off of her chest. That proved that she had gotten through. She might not have  _ understood _ , but she at least had a somewhat of a grounding in the real world now. “Nicole, can you tell me if you can hear me, Love?” 

       Her jaw unclenched as her mouth opened slightly, brows coming down. “ _ Wave _ .” 

       She smiled a little. “Yea, Honey, I’m right here . . . Can I get a little closer to you?”

       Her face tightened up as it seemed that she was trying to get an answer out, but was struggling to. Small whimpers escaped and her body began to shake as her breathing picked up. 

       "Take your time, Baby. You're ok," she cooed softly. "You're safe, Love."

       Nicole let out a slow breath to try and calm herself down a little as she blinked a few more times. ". . . Close," she mumbled with the attempt at a nod. 

       "Ok." She slowly scooted over to her after moving the rolly chair out of the way, keeping a foot of space between them to make sure she wasn't crowding her. Her eyes drifted back down to her hand, seeing again how she had scratched herself raw. "Can I touch your hand, Baby?" 

       "Yea." 

       "Alright . . ." She slowly reached over to her knees and pressed her fingers gently to her wrist, checking her still-locked eyes for a reaction. It didn't seem to startle her any, so she moved her other hand up and stilled her scratching finger, pulling her hand off her knee and bringing it to her lap. She pressed her left thumb to the back of her hand to stop the bleeding and interlocked their fingers with her free hand. "What do you see, Nic?" She  _ slowly _ reached over her lap and unhooked her holster, pulling the gun out even slower and setting it up on the top of the desk. 

       The redhead's hand squeezed her's, the struggle to speak coming back. Waverly ran her right thumb along the side of her finger as her muscles tensed, face scrunching up. "B- . . . B-Bad." She sucked in a breath. " _ H-Him _ ." 

       "It's not real, Baby. Just breath, ok?" 

       Nicole's eyes snapped closed and she dropped her head to her knees with a shaky curse, almost crushing all the bones in Waverly's hand with the way she was squeezing it. The muttered no’s came back and Waverly could now feel how much she was shaking from holding her hand. 

       Waverly delivered some calm reassurances for a few minutes, though she wasn’t sure if she could hear her anymore because she wasn’t answering at all.

       She suddenly shouted a loud  _ don't  _ and snapped her head back, the back of her head hitting the inside of the desk with a bang. She began to backpedal her legs against the floor, even though she wasn’t going anywhere, and jerked her hand free from Waverly’s, gripping them around her collar and pulling at it. Her cries filled the room, Waverly’s heart breaking as she deciphered some of the words as ones of apology. She tried to calm her hands as she spoke more now-shaky grounding statements.

       Nicole’s neck got redder and redder as she continued to claw at it, her feet scuffing marks all over the tile and tears marking lines down her purple-flushed cheeks. “ _ W-Wave _ ,” she got out through her teeth. “ _ Make it s- . . . s-s-stop _ .” 

       The brunette’s eyes widened for a beat, but she quickly sprung into action. She pushed herself backward and grabbed onto her upper arm and left knee, pulling her out from under the desk. She pushed her back against the wall and pulled Nicole in between her legs, trapping her legs down by crossing her’s over her knees. She grabbed onto her arms and pulled them down with all her might, folding them over her chest. She reached up and undid her tie, tossing it away and popping the top three or four buttons on her shirt open before wrapping her arms around her to hold her’s down. She would have done this in the beginning, but since she was showing no signs of a response, she didn’t want to trigger her even more by limiting her movement without knowing it was her. 

       “Shh.” She pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I need you to breathe, Nic. There’s nothing there.” She began to take in some deep breaths herself, letting them out slowly, in hope that she would match it eventually. 

       And after a few minutes, she did. 

       The redhead slowly opened her eyes, tracing them across the station, for she could actually see it now. She let out a hefty sigh, letting her head fall back against her girlfriend’s shoulder. 

       Waverly looked down at her face, seeing how she met her worried eyes. She breathed a relief, loosening her hug a little and reaching up to cup her cheek, pushing a kiss to her cheekbone. “You ok, Sweetheart?” 

       Nicole nodded slowly. “I’m s-sorry,” she whispered, another tear making its way down her face. 

       “No.” Waverly shook her head as she wiped it away. “Don’t you  _ ever  _ apologize for something like that.”

       She swallowed the lump in her throat, closing her eyes again and leaning her forehead against her jaw. The brunette uncrossed her legs, stretching them out on either side of her’s as she gently ran her hand up and down her stomach. 

       After Nicole gathered the majority of her bearings, she slid out from her legs and Waverly stood up, holding her hands out to help her up. She got her to her feet and picked her tie up off the floor, handing it to her, along with her gun. 

       The redhead lifted her head from tying it at the sound of someone clearing their throat. 

       She grit her teeth slightly as she stared into Nedley’s apologetic eyes, squaring her shoulders. “ _ What _ ?” 

       His face saddened, though he had expected her to be mad. He turned away and walked towards his office and they both followed, shutting the door behind them. She sat down in front of his desk and Waverly stood behind her, running her thumbs along her shoulders. 

       Randy rubbed his face, leaning forward onto his elbows. “I know you want an explanation, Nicole.” 

       “Damn right, I do,” she seethed. 

       He raised his head from his hands. “Do you remember earlier this year when I went to that Mariners vs Rangers game in Seattle and you got mad that I wasn’t bringing you?” 

       She cocked an eyebrow at the question, leaning back in the chair slightly. “Yes . . .” She answered slowly, trying to figure out what that had to do with anything. 

       “I don't like the Mariners.” 

       “Then why’d you go to their game?” She asked with a shrug. 

       “Cause the Rangers were playing,” he informed, raising his eyebrows. 

       She blinked at him for a good couple of seconds. “. . . Since when do you like the Rangers?” 

       “Since always.” 

       She rubbed her forehead, leaning her arm onto the armrest. “You’re confusing me.”

       The Sheriff stood up and began to pace across his office, rubbing his hands together. “Do you know  _ why _ I didn’t take you with me?”

       “I don’t know, Nedley! Cause you’re mean?” She still had no idea what  _ any of this _ had to do with why he had _ her 911 call _ on  _ his computer _ . 

       “Cause it’d make me think too much about how Will and I went to games back in the day!” He realized how loudly he said it and pursed his lips, pushing his hand through his hair as he looked at her slightly-startled and maybe even scared face. “And I couldn’t do that to you.” 

       “Y-You knew my father?” She whispered with wide eyes. 

       He sat back down. “We met at Fort Bliss in ‘80. We both got sent there for Basic Training-” 

       “You met in the  _ Army _ ?” She gawked. 

       He nodded. “I was a ranch kid from South Dallas and he was a city boy, but somehow we hit it off . . . We even ended up in the same battalion when we got shipped off to Lebanon in ‘83. I got discharged not even a month after from the blast that sent shrapnel into my side, but we stayed friends.” 

       The redhead was blinking at him as she tried to comprehend everything. “So how’d you get here?” 

       “Well. I was over at your parents' house for dinner while he was home on leave and it happened to be one of the occasions that Ina Chetri was also in town. She had brought one of her best friends from work down with her.” 

       “ _ Rebecca _ ?” Nicole gasped. She knew that Ina and Nedley’s wife worked together. 

       “Once she found out that I was a cop, she was head over heels,” he chuckled. “She moved down there with me and that was it for a while. But . . . But Will was different after he got back from Desert Storm in ‘91. He started a fight with me one day and it got ugly, so that was the end of our friendship . . . I never actually ended up meeting you until . . .” He got quiet and looked down at his feet. 

       When he raised his eyes to her’s again, they were soft, almost apologetic. 

       And she realized she had seen those eyes before.  _ Way  _ before this day.

       She jumped straight out of her chair, eyes bulging out of her head. “ _ YOU _ !” She flapped a finger at him as she tried to find words. Her shoulders dropped as he stood up, walking around the desk towards her. Her voice got quiet. “You-You’re the one t-tha-that . . . that talked to me an-and then made sure . . . that I was ok.” She got even quieter as he stepped closer again, seeing how she was swaying. “ _ You’re the one that made me realize I needed to be a cop _ .”

       Waverly and Nedley each grabbed one of her arms as she almost fell backwards from shock. “Now I wouldn’t say that,” he mumbled. 

       “No . . .  _ You-You’re _ why I became a cop, Randy . . . I just . . . kn-knew I had to after that.” 

       “I saw your name on the interview list and I . . .” He let out a small laugh. “I couldn’t believe it. I figured you were going to end up being the first girl in the MLB or something after seeing your name everywhere, not one of my deputies.”  

       “And have a bunch of 5 foot 8 guys smacking my ass as  _ good sportsmanship _ all day long? Yea, mhm.” 

       “ _ With _ a million-dollar salary.” 

       She shrugged a little. “I’d rather be here.” Her eyes got misty and she swallowed. “Everything good that I have in my life is because I came back to the Ghost River Triangle.” 

       Nedley’s face changed and she traced her eyes over it to try and decipher it. “. . . You’re like a  _ daughter  _ to me, Nicole.” 

       Her eyes widened and her heart thumped in her ears as the burn of emotions slid up her throat. She tapped her fist against her side, rocking slightly on the balls of her feet as she tried to keep it together, but that softness in his eyes always seemed to break her walls down. She surged forward, wrapping her arms around him and pushing her face into his shoulder. He hugged her back tightly, letting out a heavy breath. 

       He gave her arm a good squeeze after a couple of long seconds. “You're wrinkling the crease in my khakis,” he mumbled near her ear. 

       She let out a soft snort as she pulled away, wiping her eyes. “ _ You _ are a tough act to follow,” she breathed. 

       He shook his head. “I'm not going anywhere . . . Not if you really need me.” She smiled widely, feeling a bit of relief lift off of her chest. He smiled back, clapping her shoulder. “Congratulations, Sheriff Haught.  _ You  _ earned it.” 

       Nicole blushed, pulling him into another hug and rocking him side to side. 

       “Sorry to kinda ruin your moment, but why’d you move up here, Sheriff?” Waverly asked. 

       He looked over her shoulder at her. “Rebecca  _ hates  _ hot weather, so Texas wasn’t cutting it for her. We already had the house up here bought and moved us and Chrissy up here about a month after all of that happened.” 

       “What about me?” Rebecca poked her head into the office with a questioning brow. 

       Nedley smiled at her nervously. “Just talking about Texas, Dear.” 

       “Blech,  _ Texas _ .” She walked into the room, sitting herself in his office chair with a spin. “Just  _ thinking  _ about it makes me sweat.” 

       They broke into a fit of laughter and she blinked at them, confused about why she apparently had just said the funniest thing in the world. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole’s eyes blinked open, feeling a small, fluffy weight on her face. She quickly brought her hands up and lifted it, seeing two little blue eyes blinking down at her with a meow. She sat up with wide eyes, looking at the tiny grey Munchkin kitten in her hands. She looked to her right after hearing a giggle, seeing Waverly kneeling on the floor next to her with a smile ripping her face in half. “Happy birthday.” 

       Her opened smile grew wider as she lifted the kitten to her face. “Who is  _ dis _ ?” She cooed softly. 

       The brunette crawled up onto the bed next to her. “That’s for you to decide.” 

       Nicole set the little grey poof down, letting it fumble across the blanket. She laid down on her stomach in front of it, laughing as she tickled it’s stomach when it front-flipped over a large mountain of fabric. “Did you really get me a kitten for my birthday, Baby?” She asked sweetly as the smaller girl laid down next to her. 

       “Technically  _ yes _ , but I saw something about him the other day online. They found him and another abandoned on the side of the road so the animal hospital nursed them both back to health. The other one had already found a home, but this one hadn’t, so they were going to send him to a kill shelter  _ and we wasn’t gonna have that, now was we _ ?” She scratched his sides as he rolled towards her. 

       Nicole pouted her lip, pulling him closer to her face. “You was almost school chicken nuggets,” she frowned as he pawed at her nose. 

       Waverly roughly smacked her arm with a gasp. “ _ Nicole _ !” 

       She laughed, flipping her back and setting him on her chest. She was sure this was the tiniest kitten she had ever seen. “How old is he?” 

       “I think they said around 11 weeks?” She guessed. 

       The kitten made his way down to her stomach, sticking his butt up as he went to jump off. “Geronimo!” She shouted as he went, taking a few more steps to get to Waverly with a meow in complaint, his tiny legs doing him no good on the squishy bed. 

       She flipped over and lifted him up above her face. “I think we found your name, Little Dude,” she smiled, tipping her head to look at the redhead. 

       Nicole grinned, scooting over to press a kiss to her lips. “We are  _ so _ calling him Gerry for short.”

       “ _ No _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the family, Geronimo
> 
> Who's shook about Nedley?   
> You shouldn't be.  
> I've hinted to it throughout the whole story ;)
> 
> Not 100% happy w the way the backstory played out, but it's kool


	65. Trust Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more birthday fun and then some baby doctor times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are y'all doing? I'm actually curious, let me know below. 
> 
> Here's 65!

       “C’mon, Gerry is  _ adorable _ ,” Nicole coaxed, scooting closer to her. 

       “For a 50-year-old man, maybe.”

       The taller girl huffed, sitting up and swinging her leg over her lap. Waverly smiled a little, rubbing her thumbs on her hip bones. She slowly smirked. “You are  _ old _ .” 

       Her eyes widened in offense. “27 is not  _ old _ .”

       “You sure? Cause I think it said your walker should be here by tomorrow.”

       “Oh,” she laughed. “You wanna see old?” 

       Waverly flicked her finger up and down in front of her. “I already see old.” 

       Nicole rolled off her lap and set Geronimo on the floor before dropping herself in between her legs, wrapping her fingers around the bottom of her chin. “ _ I’ll show you old _ .” 

       She watched her eyes darken with a devilish grin, slowly dropping her mouth to her lips. Waverly smiled, leaning her head back against the headboard and pushing her fingers through her hair, cupping her palm around the side of her jaw. “How’re you gonna do that?” 

       Nicole squeezed her fingers into her waist, pushing her hips forward slightly. “ _ Nice. And. Slow _ .” 

       Waverly’s eyes widened slightly. “ _ Oh no _ .” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The couple rolled out of bed a few hours later, both with  _ darker  _ hickeys covering their bodies than usual. Hmm. Weird. 

       Nicole got a pot of coffee going and poured herself a cup, leaning against the counter as she raised it to her mouth. She suddenly paused, standing up straight. 

       “What?” Waverly asked, furrowing her brow as the redhead began to dart her eyes around. 

       Nicole set her mug down as she pushed herself off of the counter, walking towards the living room. “Where’s Geronimo?”

       Her eyes widened and she followed her as the search began. She had totally forgotten about their new furry friend. 

       Nicole clicked her tongue a few times as she got down on her knees, looking under the couch. “Geronimo? Where’d you go, Bud?” She crawled over to the recliner, tipping it back to look under it. “We are such bad parents, Wave, we already lost our kid.” She turned her head at the laugh from the corner of the room.

       “C’mere, Babe.”  

       She cocked an eyebrow as she got up off of the ground and walked over, a smile pushing onto her face. There laid Calamity, sleeping on top of her cat stand, using the grey poof as a pillow. She was about six of him, so it was quite amusing to look at. “I guess that means they like each other,” Nicole chuckled. 

       Waverly smiled as she gently ran her finger across his head. He slowly opened his eyes, the cutest noise escaping as he yawned. “Hello!” She cooed as he wiggled out from under CJ’s head, letting lose a big stretch. He walked to the edge of the stand and sat down, swatting at Nicole’s finger as she wiggled it in front of his little round face. 

       He must have forgotten how his body worked, though, because he went to swat with both front paws and, well, he was sitting at the edge of the stand, so he flipped right off. “ _ WOah _ !” Nicole quickly reached down and caught him, bringing him to her chest protectively. “Dat was  _ stupid _ , Mo Mo,” she mumbled, walking over to the couch. 

       The brunette lifted up the orange one and followed her over, setting her on her lap when she sat down. Nicole laid down, propping her head up on her feet and setting him on her chest. “Y’know, Wave, I got you a day off on  _ your _ birthday, you could have gotten me one.” She looked up at her with a straight face, keeping her smile at bay. 

       “Oh, should I just ask your boss then?” 

       “Yea, I think you should,” she sighed as Geronimo walked onto her face. 

       “Mk.” She cleared her throat. “Sheriff Haught, can Nicole have the day off?”

       She smirked, picking him up after he slid down the side of her head, setting him back on her chest and stroking her thumb down his back. “Yep,” she confirmed, popping the p. 

       The smaller girl giggled. “There you go, Nic.” 

       “Thanks, Honey,” she winked, grabbing her hand and kissing her palm. She looked upwards as an orange head hovered over her’s, reaching up and scratching her chin with a smile. “Did you get a brother? Yes, you did.” Calamity ignored her, walking off of Waverly’s lap and using Nicole’s face as a stepping stone to get to the little one. “Well,  _ excuse  _ you.” She laid down in front of him, her butt, of course, being right in the redhead’s face. “Seriously?” She scooted her over slightly, watching as she stuck her paw out in front of Geronimo. 

       He sunk down, tail slowly swaying before pouncing on it. CJ wiggled it, getting it free from his grasp and swatting at him. It only took one hit to knock him over, rolling off of Nicole into the couch crease. 

       “Ooooh,” Waverly laughed as she picked him up and nuzzled his face with her own. 

       “Did you tell Wy yet?” The Sheriff asked as she stroked her hand down Calamity’s back, pulling on her tail. 

       “No . . .” She didn’t like the look on her face. “What?” 

       Nicole let out an evil laugh as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. A small grin worked up Waverly’s face. She figured out what she was going to do without her even having to tell her. Nicole hit call and put it on speaker. 

       “Well, if it  _ isn’t  _ the Birthday Bitch!” Wynonna answered. 

       “Earp, we’ve got great news!” Nicole smiled. 

       “Oh, do you now?” She questioned, sounding intrigued. 

       Nicole held up her hand with a 3-2-1 countdown. “YOU’RE GONNA BE AN AUNT!” They both shouted. 

       “ _ WHAT _ ?!?” She sputtered a few noises and Nicole clapped her hand over her mouth to hold in a laugh. “ _ HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU PREGNANT _ ?!” 

       The redhead let out a snort and Waverly placed her hand over her’s to hold the sounds in more. “No, we adopted, Nonna.” 

       “WHEN?!” 

       “Today.”

       “ _ WHAT _ ?!” 

       “D’you wanna meet him?” 

       “WHAT?!” 

       Waverly picked up Nicole’s phone and switched it to Facetime. Wynonna had an almost-horrified look on her face when she switched her’s over. The brunette smiled as she lifted Geronimo up to her face. “Look at him!!” 

       The older Earp’s face fell and she blinked at her. “You literally just almost made me go into labor  _ over a cat _ !” 

       Nicole sat up, leaning back into Waverly after she stretched her legs out. She took the kitten, holding him closer to the camera. “But he’s so cute, though!” He pawed at her face on the screen with a meow.

       Wynonna scrunched her face up at her. “Looks like you’ve had a good birthday so far, Sheriff,” she muttered. 

       She recognized the tone and looked at herself in the little window, seeing all the visible bite marks and hickeys along her collarbone and up her neck. She smirked, rubbing her nose against the kitten’s face. “I got  _ two _ pussies for my birthday, didn’t I?”

       “You are  _ disgusting _ ,” Wynonna gagged before hanging up. 

       Waverly rolled her eyes at her, face turning pink as Nicole tipped her head back and placed an innocent kiss on the bottom of her chin. “What d’you wanna do today?” The smaller girl asked. 

       “I don’t care.” 

       “Well, it’s  _ your _ birthday. You have to want to do  _ something _ .” She watched as a thought passed over the redhead’s face while Geronimo yawned, curling up in a ball next to Calamity Jane’s stomach on her lap. Nicole lifted them both up, walking over and setting them both on the cat bed on top of the stand.  

       Waverly followed her with her eyes she moved to the kitchen and grabbed something, holding out of her view as she walked over to the light switches, dimming them and tugging all the curtains closed as she walked along the wall, stopping once she got to the stereo. She connected her phone to it and called her over with her finger. 

       The brunette pushed herself up off of the couch, running her hands down her back when she reached her, looking over her shoulder. “It’s  _ noon _ , Babe,” she said with a laugh, watching her peeling the plastic off of the cap of their bottle of  _ good _ whiskey. 

       “Do we have plans?” She questioned, leaning against the side of the speaker and taking a few sips out of the bottle. 

       “No . . .” Waverly mumbled, slowly taking it when she handed it to her. 

       “Then  _ we’re  _ getting a little day drunk.” 

       A smile pushed onto her face as she took a long drink. Nicole adjusted the volume on the stereo, turning and spinning her into her arms, taking another drink before setting the bottle down. Waverly giggled, pushing her face into her shoulder and sliding her hands down her arms, automatically recognizing the song as being on her  _ Country Love or whatever it was titled _ playlist. 

       She had a very  _ odd  _ mixture of tastes in music. 

       Nicole smiled with heart eyes, dropping her hands to her waist to back her up a little. 

       And then the dance party began. 

 

_ You got the soul and you know how to use it _

_ Put your hand on my hip cause you know that I'll lose it _

_ You got my heart racing like there's nothing to it _

_ Falling in love to the beat of the music _

 

_ Oh, oh, why wouldn't I wanna stay?  _

_ Oh, oh, and let that plane fly away, hey, hey _

 

_ Cause you got the soul and you know how to use it _

_ Put your hand on my hip cause you know that I'll lose it _

_ You got my heart racing like there's nothing to it _

_ Falling in love to the beat of the music _

 

       The redhead looked down at Waverly’s love-struck grin as she pulled her closer, and if it wasn’t for the fact that she had gotten her a  _ kitten _ , she was sure that  _ alone  _ was the best birthday present she had  _ ever  _ gotten. 

 

**.  .  .**

  
  


_ We go good together _

_ Yeah, you and me _

_ We were meant to be _

_ We're like fireworks in a full moon sky _

 

_ Yeah, the two of us _

_ We're dirt roads and dust _

_ We're like a first kiss and butterflies _

 

_ Like goodbye goes with September _

_ Good love goes with forever _

_ We go, we go, we go _

_ We go good together _

_ We go good together _

 

       By 2 PM, the couple was seeing that whiskey bottle as half-full as they danced and ran and laughed themselves happy-go-lucky around every inch of the living room. 

       Nicole lifted it to her lips, turning her back to the brunette for  _ literally  _ five seconds. “NIC!” Waverly shouted with a laugh. 

       She turned around, snorting into the bottle as Waverly walked towards her on her hands. She held up a finger as she took one more pull, setting it down and touching her hands to the ground, kicking herself up into a handstand. 

       Waverly shrieked a laugh, watching Nicole sway for a few seconds as she caught her balance. “Oh my God, c’mere!” 

       The Sheriff unsteadily walked to meet her halfway, turning around to face her with an open grin. “I DIDN’T KNOW I COULD DO THIS!” 

       “THIS IS WEIRD!” 

       “WE’RE UPSIDE DOWN!” 

       The brunette giggled as she moved forward, touching her front to her’s, and Nicole bent her arms ever so slightly so she could reach her lips, capturing them in a slow kiss. 

       Though, maybe it was a tad  _ too _ slow. 

       One of Nicole’s arms gave out for a second and she quickly tried to regain her balance but ended up swinging her legs too far forward. “ _ Shit _ .” She fell into the brunette, landing on top of her as they hit the ground. She quickly pushed herself into a plank to get off of her. “ _ Oh my God _ , are you ok?” She asked worriedly. 

       Waverly had her hands covering her face and she couldn’t tell if she was laughing or crying until she pulled them away. Relief rushed over her and she dropped back down on her, giggling into the side of her neck. 

       They calmed down after a minute and the redhead lifted her head up, resting her chin on her chest as she listened to what song it had shuffled to while they were busy being acrobats. 

 

_ In case you didn't know _

_ Baby, I'm crazy bout ya _

_ And I would be lying if I said that I  _

_ Could live this life without ya _

_ Even though _

_ I don't tell you all the time _

_ You had my heart a long, long time ago _

 

_ In case you didn't know  _

_ You've got all of me _

_ I belong to you _

_ Yeah, you're my everything _

 

_ In case you didn't know _

_ I'm crazy bout ya  _

 

       The older girl smiled as she moved up to her face, propping herself up on her elbows as she mumbled the rest of the chorus into her lips. The smaller one hugged her legs around her waist, threading her arm under her shoulder and draping the other around her neck, kissing her lovingly as she pulled her body closer. 

       The song faded as they shared soft kisses, but Waverly pushed her back as the next one started up. 

 

_ "We should take this back to my place." _

_ That's what she said right to my face _

_ Cause I want you bad _

_ Yeah, I want you, Baby _

 

       “This is  _ not _ country,” she scoffed with a laugh. 

       Nicole shrugged as she pushed another kiss to her lips. “It’s kinda country.” 

       She shook her head as she slowly moved her hands up her shirt, feeling the curve of her waist. “He used to be in  _ One Direction _ , this is  _ not  _ a country-” 

       The Sheriff slid her finger down her lips as she hovered above her face with a smirk. “Shhhhh.” 

 

_ I've been thinking bout it all day _

_ And I hope you feel the same way _

_ Yeah, cause I want you bad _

_ Yeah, I want you, Baby _

 

_ Slow, slow hands _

_ Like sweat dripping down our dirty laundry, no _

_ No chance _

_ That I'm leaving here without you on me, I _

_ I know _

_ Yeah, I already know that there ain't no stoppin’ _

_ Your plans and those _

_ Slow hands _

 

       The brunette turned them over on the floor, kissing down her now-shirtless body as her hands traced slow lines of fire down her abs, fingers hooking around the hem of her briefs. She looked up at her dark whiskey eyes, inching them down her body. 

       “ _ Waves _ ,” Nicole breathed as her nails slid down her legs. 

       She tossed them away and moved back up her torso, ghosting her finger down her neck as she fulfilled her addiction to the taste of her lips. The redhead cupped the back of her head as she ground up into her thigh. 

       Waverly ran her right hand down her side, tracing her thumb around the border of her tattoo, having already memorized it's location, before letting it continue down, easing Nicole’s thigh away from where it had latched onto her waist. Her nails raked across the inside of her hip and the older girl whimpered into her mouth as she continued to dance around where she needed her most. 

       “ _ Fuck _ , Baby,  _ please _ ,” she begged. 

       Waverly pulled away from her lips with a smirked huff. “Quit being a whiny bottom.”

       Her mouth fell open in offense. “I am  _ not _ a bott- _ om _ .” Her voice was cut with a throaty moan as her eyes rolled back and her spine arched, the brunette having eased two fingers into her. 

       Waverly grinned, planting gentle kisses on the marks already branded on her neck. “What was that, Birthday Girl?” 

       She felt her throat vibrate as the redhead let out a low growl, pushing up into her hand as she slowly pumped her fingers into her. Nicole dug her short nails into her hip, staring up at her with greedy eyes. “I hate you.” 

       She let out a low laugh, nipping up her jawline to her ear. “Just you wait.” 

 

_ Oo, slow hands _

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Mo Mo! Come eat your breakfast before Calamity gets to it!” Waverly called, tapping the metal dish on the counter. 

       The now-15-week-old kitten zoomed into the kitchen, tripping up the redhead as she tousled a towel through her hair whilst she walked down the hall. “Jeez, Dude, you act like we don’t feed you!” 

       Waverly giggled, planting a kiss on her cheek when she stopped to pour herself a cup of coffee. She turned around, tutting as she put a hand on her hip. 

       Nicole looked behind her, smirking at the kitten, who was up on the counter, standing up on his hind legs and staring at the food dish that was still in her hand. 

       She walked past him and scratched his stomach. “Mommy’s bouta whoop ya,” she mumbled quiet enough that the brunette behind her couldn’t hear before sliding into the seat on the edge. 

       Waverly stomped over. “Geronimo, get down!” She gave him a small push of encouragement. “You know better,” she grumbled, running her hand down his back a few times as she set his bowl down on the floor. She grabbed her mug and took a seat next to her girlfriend, her chair being so close that their thighs and shoulders were touching. 

       “Just think. This time next month, there’s going to be a screaming baby hanging around.” 

       Waverly's eyes widened as she took that in. It was February 10th and Wynonna was due March 4th. In fact, they were getting ready to go to her prenatal appointment now. “ _ Oh my God _ , we’re gonna be aunts in, like,  _ three  _ days.” She leaned her elbows on the counter, rubbing her hands on her forehead. 

       “Well, I  _ hope _ not in  _ three _ days,” the Sheriff laughed. The smaller girl threw her a look that screamed  _ you know what I mean _ . “D’you know today marks a year since I started working here?” 

       She raised her eyebrows as she took a sip of coffee. “Really?” 

       “Mhm,” she nodded with a smile. 

       “And  _ look  _ at you now,” she grinned, running her fingers down her tie. The redhead blushed a little. Waverly swung her legs, rolling her finger around the rim of her mug. “Ya know . . . We’re coming up on a year of  _ something else _ , too.” 

       Nicole bit the side of her cheek before turning her head to look at her with a cocked eyebrow. “Oh yea? What’s that?” 

       Her face fell. “ _ Nicole _ .” 

       “What?” She asked with a mock-oblivious laugh. 

       Waverly rolled her eyes, getting off the chair and walking towards the bedroom, “You are  _ unbelievable _ .” 

       Nicole tutted with a smile, scrambling off the chair and doing a little jog to catch up with her, wrapping her arms around her from behind. “I’m  _ kidding _ , Baby.”

       The redhead was very well aware that their one year anniversary was next month. Very. Well aware. 

       Waverly turned around, pouting her lip at her. “Don’t  _ do _ that to me!” She whined, smacking her chest. 

       Nicole pouted her lip back. “But it was  _ funny _ ,” she mimicked as she leaned in, cupping each side of her face as she kissed her. “You really thought I would forget  _ our anniversary _ ?” 

       “No! That’s why I was mad!” 

       She laughed, hugging her arms around her waist. “I would  _ never _ .” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Why doesn’t Doc ever come with you to these?” Waverly asked her sister as Nicole held the door open for both of them. 

       She gave a little shrug. “Cause I don’t tell him that I’m going.” 

       “ _ Wynonna _ ,” they both scolded. 

       “What? So he can watch me get weighed and then get my blood drawn. That’s literally all we do here.” 

       The couple rolled their eyes at one another as she signed herself in. “ _ And _ how they look at the baby,” Nicole mumbled. 

       “Eh.” 

 

       A nurse called her name several minutes later and they got moved to a room. She took all of her vitals, letting them know someone would be in to get her blood sample in a few minutes. 

       “So,” Wynonna started. “What are  _ you two _ doing on V-Day?”

       They looked towards each other with questioning brows. “That is a _good_ question. What _are_ we doing on Valentine’s Day, Miss Earp?” Nicole drawled, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. 

       “I’m sure we’d be doing  _ a lot of things _ if you didn’t have to work all day.” 

       “ _ Ew _ , that’s not what I meant,” the older Earp grimaced. 

       They ignored her. “I get off at six,” Nicole shrugged. “We can probably do dinner somewhere.” 

       Waverly chewed the side of her lip as she slowly nodded, thinking of a few ideas for where they could go. “Ok. I’ll see what we can do,” she smiled. Nicole returned it as she took a drink of her coffee. 

       “Hey, Haughty, you’ve sucked dick before, right?” 

       There went that mouthful of coffee. All over the floor. 

       “ _ Wynonna _ !” Waverly chastised, grabbing the box of tissues sitting on the table next to her and handing them to the redhead to clean it up. 

       “So was that a yes, or . . .” She trailed off with a knowing smirk, crossing her cankles on the bed. 

       Nicole’s face went darker than her hair as she dropped to a knee, hating Jeremy for  _ ever  _ bringing that up months back. “We’re not talking about it,” she grumbled. 

       “What the hell does that have to do with  _ anything _ , Wynonna?” Waverly asked with an angry brow, hating how she always found a way to make Nicole uncomfortable. 

       “It doesn’t really,” she said with a shrug. “I just wanted to make sure she knew  _ exactly  _ what I’m going to be doing on Valentine’s Day.” 

       They both groaned, looking up at her smug smile with disgusted faces. 

       “Do you need a step-by-step on how I’m gonna eat your sister out then or are you good?” Nicole asked her, throwing one of the coffee-soaked tissues at her. 

       “ _ HEY _ !” Waverly smacked her shoulder. She looked towards her flushed face with a wink. 

       Wynonna picked up the tissue with her thumb and pointer finger, flicking it back at her. “I’ve already spent some time with Connie Lingus, but thanks for the offer.”

       “ _ WHAT _ ?!” Waverly shrieked with wide eyes as Nicole stopped cleaning with a horrified look on her face. “ _ WHEN _ ?!” 

       “ _ You _ go to a club in Greece. Trust me, you’re  _ not _ the same person when you come out.” She looked between their shocked faces, blinking slowly. She leaned back with a smirk. “And let me tell ya, they’ve got some  _ biiig- _ ” She stopped when the door opened, not wanting to scare the nurse that just came in. 

       “Hi!” The blonde smiled. “I’m gonna be ta- _ king your blood again _ . . .” 

       Waverly cocked an eyebrow at the way she trailed off, but then she noticed she was staring past her. She turned her head, looking down at her girlfriend.

       Whose face was pale as she stared back at the woman who had stepped  _ all the way over  _ her boundaries a few months back. 

       It took Waverly a few seconds to figure out what their deal was. But then it clicked. And it clicked  _ hard _ . 

       A small gasp left her throat as her head snapped back towards the blonde. Her body tensed tightly as a pit of anger bubbled up in her stomach. “Oh, you  _ bitch _ ,” she growled, shooting out of her chair and sprinting towards her. 

       Nicole was pulled out of her stare at the sound of glass shattering, for the nurse had dropped the vial when Waverly  _ tackled _ her. 

       “ _ Hey _ !” Wynonna shouted, hauling herself off the bed as her sister let the punches fly. 

       “Waverly _ , don’t _ !” Nicole pushed herself off of the floor, pedaling over as the nurse rolled them over, nailing the brunette with a couple of socks to the face. Her eyes went wide. “ _ Get the fuck off her _ ,” she fumed, leaping forward and wrapping her arms around her middle to knock her off. 

       They rolled a few times, Nicole ending up with her back on the floor. “I didn’t tell anyone!” The nurse shouted as she pinned her neck to the ground, rubbing her other hand against her bruising jaw. “You said you  _ wouldn’t  _ tell her if I didn’t!” 

       “That sucks for you, I guess,” she choked out as she tugged at the arm cutting off her oxygen. 

       She scowled, pulling her fist back. The Sheriff blocked it, turning them over and standing up on her knees as she flipped her and pushed her front to the ground. She quickly grabbed her arms and pinned them behind her back, slapping her cuffs on her wrist. 

       “You can’t arrest me and not her, you  _ asshole _ !” 

       “She didn’t try and  _ choke a Sheriff _ , now did she?” Nicole asked as she hauled her to a sitting position and sat her against the wall. 

       “She still  _ punched me _ !” 

       “And  _ you  _ punched her back when you didn’t need to, so it  _ wasn’t  _ self-defense. Be glad I’m not gonna charge you for it.” 

       She stood up straight as she began to cuss her out, rushing over to Waverly, who was still being held back by Wynonna. Her eyes widened as she placed her hands on either side of her neck, tipping her head up. “Baby _ , your nose _ .” 

       The blood coming from each nostril trickled down her face and dripped off her chin, and Nicole could see how the bridge was now curved slightly to the right. 

       She pushed against the redhead in anger. “That  _ bitch _ broke my  _ fucking  _ nose!” 

       “Hey, hey, shh.” She pushed her hands against her shoulders. “It’s ok, Wave. It’s not that bad, calm down.” 

       “Don’t tell me to  _ calm down _ , Nicole!” 

       Rule  _ number one _ when your girlfriend is upset and/or angry: Never  _ ever _ tell her to calm down.

       That’s just common sense. 

       She pursed her lips and stepped behind her, leading her back into the room. She got her to sit down and handed her the box of tissues that was sitting on the floor. “I’ll be right back, ok?” The brunette nodded with tears in her eyes as she pushed one to her face, her anger finally wearing off and letting sadness through. 

       Nicole stood and kissed the top of her head, closing the door behind her as she walked out of the room. She grabbed onto the nurse’s arm and stood her up, unlocking the cuffs. “The hell?” 

       “Just leave us alone, alright?” The nurse rolled her eyes. Nicole took a quick step closer to her, grabbing onto the front of her scrubs and shoving her up against the wall. “ _ You better be goddamn glad that I’m in uniform or I’d be knocking those eyes out of your fuckin’ head for even  _ touching  _ her _ ,” she growled through her teeth before letting her go with a shove. “ _ Now get out of my face before I decide I don't care about that anymore _ .”  

       She backed away with a testy snarl, turning around and heading around the corner. The redhead let out a heavy breath, relaxing her shoulders. She walked back into the room, kneeling down to pick up the needle and shards of glass from what she dropped. She threw the glass away and set the needle down on the desk, spotting a box of rubber gloves as she did so. She grabbed a pair and snapped them on, pulling her chair around to sit in front of Waverly. 

       “What’re you doing?” She mumbled as Nicole grabbed a tissue and dried the couple of tears rolling down her cheeks. 

       “I’m just looking to see where it’s broken.” She raised her hands to her cheeks, tipping her back up a little. 

       “Nic,” Waverly whimpered, grabbing onto her wrists and pulling her hands away. 

       “Honey, I  _ promise _ , I’m not gonna do anything to it.” She wiped a few more tears away.

       The brunette slowly let her go. “. . . Ok.” 

       Nicole gave her a soft smile. “It’s gonna hurt, but I’m gonna be as gentle as I can.” 

       Waverly let out a breath, giving her a small nod as a go-ahead. Nicole swallowed, moving her hands back up to her cheeks. She lifted her right hand, putting her thumb and index finger on each side as she pinched at the cartilage at the bottom. She breathed a relief, feeling it still intact. She knew if that was broken in any way, it would need surgery to repair it. She slowly moved upward, getting to the actual nasal bone. 

       And that’s where she felt the fracture. 

       She pulled her hands away, placing them on her knees and drawing patterns on them with her thumbs. “Is it bad?” Waverly whispered, eyes filled with worry. 

       “No, no. It’s not bad . . . It’s  _ there _ . But it’s not bad.” She paused for a second. “I could probably reset it right now.” 

       Her eyes popped out. “No! You don’t know what you’re doing!” 

       She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “ _ Hey _ . I’ve reset my nose  _ twice _ . It looks normal to you, doesn’t it?” 

       “Nicole . . .” She mumbled, knowing that she never would have guessed her nose had ever been broken. 

       “I got kicked in the face with a soccer ball in my Junior year of High School during a game. A kid got nailed by a line drive in my Freshman year of college at practice. I was  _ drunk  _ at a party during my Senior year of college and my friend smacked his face on a toilet seat. And I got pummeled by this dick that I was trying to arrest when I worked in Calgary. All four times, those noses looked good as new.” 

       Waverly stared at her with uncertainty in her eye before pulling her phone out and opening the camera, examining herself for a minute. She brought her arms down with a conflicted huff. “Babe, I don’t know.” 

       Nicole cupped each side of her jaw, pushing their foreheads together. “Do you trust me, Wave?” She asked gently, staring right into her eyes. 

       “I trust you with everything,” she mumbled. “I’m just scared.” 

       “I know, Love. But if you wait to go to the doctor, the more you’re gonna bruise and I  _ really  _ don’t want you to look like a raccoon.” 

       Her jaw clenched and she sat back, running her hand down her braid. “. . . How bad’s it hurt?” 

       “Uhm . . .”

       “Like, 1 to 10.” 

       “11,” she said bluntly. Waverly’s eyes widened. “But then it feels better really fast . . . And you’ll be able to breathe through it right away.” 

       “Nic . . .” She said again with a whine. 

       “If I thought this wasn’t going to go well, I wouldn’t even think about trying it. You know that.” 

       The smaller girl let out a slow breath through her mouth. “. . . Just do it,” she sighed.

       “Are you sure?” 

       “Not really, but I trust that you’re not gonna make me more ugly.”

       "Shut up, you're not ugly," she grumbled as she stood up and walked over to the desk. 

       "Haught." 

       Nicole turned her head towards Wynonna. "What?" 

       "If you fuck up my baby sister's face, I get to fuck up yours." 

       She rolled her eyes, picking up the pen she found. "I'm not gonna fuck up her face." She grabbed a tissue and squirted some Germ-X on it, cleaning off the bottom end of it before wiping it off and sitting back down in front of the brunette. 

       "I swear to God, if you're sticking that pen up my nose." 

       Nicole gave her a toothy smile. "I cleaned it." Waverly groaned. Nicole grabbed a clean tissue and handed it to her. "Blow." She did so to get the rest of the blood out, tipping her head back after to keep the nose-pained tears from falling. "Ok," the redhead breathed, tugging her sleeves up. "I love you. And I'm _so_ sorry in advance." 

       "I'm also sorry in advance. Whatever comes out of my mouth in the next 5 minutes, I swear I don't mean." 

       Nicole laughed at that, straightening her posture in the chair. "Ready?" Waverly swallowed with a slow nod. “Ok . . . Just relax, Love.” She placed the hand holding a clean tissue on the bottom of her chin to tip her head back and leaned forward as she lined up the pen with her right nostril, slowly pushing it in until she felt where the bone was shifted. “Tell me if you’re gonna sneeze,” she mumbled softly through her concentration. 

       The brunette’s face was contorted slightly with pain, but her eyes snapped closed tightly when she began to push inward on the middle cartilage to straighten it out. She let out a groan, squeezing her fingers into the Sheriff’s thighs. “ _ Fuck you _ .” 

       “Maybe when your sister’s not in the room,” she mumbled with a tiny smirk. 

       She pinched her leg at that, but her eyes opened slightly. “ _ S-Sneeze _ .” 

       Nicole pulled the pen out and brought the tissue up, smiling a little as Waverly cupped her hands around her’s and let it out. Even with a broken nose, she had the cutest sneeze she had ever heard. She reached her hand up, wiping the stray tear that got knocked out and handed her the pen to hold. She ran her finger gently down the bridge, already noticing a difference. “We’re done with that.” 

       “Thank  _ God _ ,” she grumbled.

       “Mm, that was the easy part.” 

       Her face fell. “Wh- Now what?” 

       Nicole’s jaw clenched slightly. “Now I have to push the actual bone back in place,” she mumbled. 

       “ _ Baby _ -”

       “It will only take  _ 3 seconds _ , I promise.” 

       She rubbed her hands up and down her thighs a few times. “You’re buying me Starbucks when we leave.” 

       “Babe, I’ve gotta be at wo-” 

       “ _ Nicole _ ,” she warned. 

       She pursed her lips. “White Mocha frap, it is,” she sighed, bringing her hands up to her cheeks. She felt her body tense up as her eyes looked up at her worriedly. “Relax,” she whispered, sliding her thumbs down her nose on each side as she felt for the break again, positioning her fingers where they needed to be to push it back in position. Waverly closed her eyes as she let out a breath, loosening her neck and shoulders. “I know you’re gonna want to, but please try not to jerk your head back. It might not set and then I’d just have to do it all over again.” The brunette nodded, her heart beating fast against her ribs. “Ok. On 3, Wave. 1 . . . 2 . .-”

_        Crack _ . 

       “YOU  _ MOTHERFUCKER _ !” Waverly hissed, unintentionally punching her in the gut. The redhead doubled over, letting out a strained groan. The brunette gasped, pushing her hands against her shoulders. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

       Nicole pushed her hands on her knees to sit herself up with the attempt at a smile. “You’re good,” she said, voice still low with pain. “I fixed it,” she informed, gesturing to her face. 

       Waverly pulled her camera up on her phone again, checking herself over. “Holy crap,” she said with a small laugh. Besides the swelling, it looked perfect. 

       Their heads snapped towards Wynonna at the sound of a retch, seeing her head in the trash can. “ _ Wynonna _ ,” Nicole said worriedly, standing up and walking towards her. 

       She lifted her head with a shaky glare. “I heard her face pop from all the way over here,” she mumbled, a shiver shaking through her body at the end. “ _ Oh _ , that was  _ gross _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs in order of appearance:  
> Beat of the Music - Brett Eldredge  
> Good Together - James Barker Band  
> In Case You Didn't Know - Brett Young  
> Slow Hands - Niall Horan
> 
> 10/10 recommend giving them a listen
> 
> Please, and I mean PLEASE, do not EVER try and reset your nose yourself or let someone who is not a doctor do it. Nicole just so happened to know how to do the redneck way, BUT it is not as easy as it seems. GO to a doctor. 
> 
> Hard to believe WayHaught's almost going a year strong here already, phewee


	66. H-e-Double Hockey Sticks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just, ya know, you're local Sheriff flying through the air

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> B O R I N G  
> But here it is anyway

       “Lights and sirens off when you pull up,” Nicole called over the radio as she slowly drove up the private road that opened to Purgatory’s couple of mansions. They had gotten a report from the security system in one of them of a break-in. And that was typical. Most robbers know that a lot of people aren’t home at night on Valentine’s Day so they take it to their advantage. She pulled off to the side before the driveway and the four other cruisers came to a stop behind her, all climbing out. 

       “What’s the plan, Sheriff?” The rookie she had just hired asked. He was still a kid, but he had graduated at the top of his class in all aspects at the Academy. 

       “The sensors say they’ve picked up on three guys. We’re gonna get in there quietly and come out quietly. No need to rush in guns blazing . . . Literally.” That got a couple of annoyed eye rolls. A small smirk dusted her lips. “Schmitt and Pearson, you’re with me left. Lonnie and Wagner, you’re right. Got it?” 

       "Got it," they echoed. 

       She pulled her gun out of its holster and cocked it. "Alright. Let's move." They did a run-jog up to the front door, seeing that it had been forced open and was still cracked open a quarter of the way. She grabbed the handle, taking one more glance at her Deputies before pushing it open and entering quietly. 

       Nicole immediately heard noise coming from the living room, so she and the other two pushed themselves against the wall by the entrance, the redhead peaking in. There stood a burly man with a hooded jacket, ripping drawers of the TV stand open and shoving Xbox game cases into the gym bag he was holding after the Xbox itself. 

       “We got one, Sheriff,” Lonnie called over. 

       “Copy,” she mumbled. 

       She pulled her head back when she heard the yelling coming from upstairs. “5-0! 5-0!” The robber they were arresting shouted in an attempt to warn his buddies of their presence. 

       The burly man’s head shot up and he quickly zipped the bag, throwing the strap over his shoulder as he moved their way. It was then that she saw the pistol in his hand.

       She jumped out from behind the wall, lifting her weapon. “Drop it!” 

       The setting sunlight coming through the window illuminated his wide eyes as he stopped abruptly, putting his hands in the air. Schmitt and Pearson stepped out, pointing their own weapons at the man. 

       “Drop your weapon!” Nicole repeated. “ _ Now _ !” He slowly set it on the ground, keeping his hands in the air with terrified eyes. She nodded her head towards it and Pearson walked over, kicking it out of his reach before stepping back to his original position “Put the bag down,” she ordered. He slipped it off his shoulder and set it down, nudging it away with his foot after seeing what happened with the gun. “Lock your fingers behind your head and get on your knees.  _ Slowly _ .” He did so, and after ordering him to his stomach, she walked over, holstering her weapon before dropping a knee to his back and pulling his arms down to cuff them. 

       “They made me,” he whimpered. “I didn’t wanna do it.” 

       “I’m sure they did,” she sighed, looking up at the deputies as she was going to tell them to continue on looking for the last guy, but she saw a figure dash out the door. She shot up. “Stay with him!” She yelled, already running for the front door and jumping down the four steps on the porch, yanking her gun back out as she ran after the last burglar, shouting orders for him to stop. But he continued on running through everyone’s yards, turning his head to look at her before pedaling his legs faster. 

       She didn’t get called Match Stick in high school for nothing. Maybe the hair was half of it, but the other was cause she was already at her stopping height  _ Freshman year _ . And those long legs  _ did _ come in handy at times. 

       Sprinting being one of them. 

       She sped it up, and within a few seconds, she was right behind him. She jumped forward, knocking him to the grass. She grabbed at his arms, but his head snapped back as he wiggled around underneath her, flashing red with a low growl. Her eyes went wide as she realized the situation she was in, but she kept calm, trying harder to pin his arms back. 

       “Stupid  _ cop _ ,” the Revenant snarled before grabbing onto the front of her uniform and flicking her 8 feet away from him like a ragdoll. 

       She landed with a bruising thud, rolling a few times before getting her footing and scrambling to her feet, digging her phone out of her pocket and pushing it to her ear as she took off back after him. 

       “ _ Haught _ , this better be important. I was  _ bus _ -” 

       “Code  _ red _ , Wynonna! I’m at Stone Gate Mansions! Haul some ass, would ya?!” She practically screamed into the phone before immediately hanging up. She pushed her glock back and replaced it with her taser, knowing it would not be  _ civil _ to shoot an unarmed guy in the middle of a subdivision. 

       She was easily back behind him, for his stubby legs and beer belly weren’t doing him any good. She raised the taser and fired, holding the trigger down as she watched his body come to a stand-still before falling stiffly forward with a groan. She pounced on his back and pulled her second pair of cuffs out, locking his hands back before his body got over the jolt she sent through him. “Stupid  _ Revenant _ ,” she grumbled, breath slightly staggered as she stood up. “Try something and I’ll zap ya again.” He growled with a flash of his eyes. “ _ Cute _ .” 

       She turned her right arm up to look at the underside after feeling it start to sting. She pursed her lips, seeing how her uniform sleeve had shredded during her tumble, giving her a nice scrape up her upper arm. But she cocked an eyebrow, looking down at the grass she was standing on, wondering how it could have scraped her up that bad. “ _ Rich people _ ,” she huffed with an eye roll, realizing on further inspection that it was not grass, but  _ turf _ , and that her scrape was not a scrape, but a nice patch of turf burn. Waverly’d have a blast doctoring  _ that  _ up later. 

       Speaking of the brunette. 

       Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out, expecting her second favorite Earp, but instead, it was from her first. 

 

**Waves 🌊 💖: Text me when ur getting ready to head home 😘 ❤️ 😘**

**Nic ❤️ 💙 ❤️ 💙: Just waiting for Wynonna. Who knows how long that’ll take 🙄**

**Waves 🌊 💖: Y?**

**Nic ❤️ 💙 ❤️ 💙: *Picture of her with her boot stepping on the side of his face while he flashed his eyes angrily***

**Nic ❤️ 💙 ❤️ 💙: Found this guy and two others (revenantsy still to be determined) robbing one of the mansions in Stone Gate**

**Waves 🌊 💖: Omg, that’s Louis Holtum. Big-time professional Strongman that got on the bad side of Wyatt, ig**

**Nic ❤️ 💙 ❤️ 💙: Yea, I figured that out the hard way**

**Waves 🌊 💖: Y? What happened??**

**Nic ❤️ 💙 ❤️ 💙: Nothing, he just kinda...tossed me off him**

**Waves 🌊 💖: Wym tossed?**

**Nic ❤️ 💙 ❤️ 💙: Tossed. Ya know, tossed as in threw me over into the neighbor’s yard tossed**

**Waves 🌊 💖: OMFG, R U OKAY?!?!??**

**Nic ❤️ 💙 ❤️ 💙: Yea, I’m fine lmao**

**Nic ❤️ 💙 ❤️ 💙: Just a lil scrape. Maybe a bruise or two**

**Waves 🌊 💖: How little is a “lil scrape”**

**Nic ❤️ 💙 ❤️ 💙: Mk, Wynonna’s here, BYE LY ❤️ ❤️**

**Waves 🌊 💖: U are so dead 😡**

 

       She shoved her phone in her pocket, walking to meet Humpty Dumpty as she waddled over to her, Peacemaker in hand. “Is this him?” She asked, pointing at him with the barrel. 

       She nodded. “And there are two more in there, but I don’t know if they are Rev-Heads or not.” 

       Wynonna sighed as they walked over and Nicole hauled him to his feet, letting her hold the taser as they walked back up to the mansion to meet her patient deputies. “You owe me.” 

       “Remember all the times  _ you’ve  _ owed me?” She asked with a cocked eyebrow. Wynonna pursed her lip, kicking a stone from the neatly-rocked barrier along the sidewalk leading up to the mansion to skid up it. “Alright, guys. They’re from a different jurisdiction, so I’ll just run all three over there. Y’all are getting off for the night soon, anyway.” 

       They all smiled with thank you’s as they headed back to their cruisers and drove away. She sat him on the porch next to the other two and turned towards the homeowners that had arrived at some point. “Some officers from the night shift will be up here in a bit to do an evidence report, so you can go in there, but just try not to touch anything, ok?” They nodded, throwing stink eyes towards the men as they walked inside. 

       Wynonna clapped her hands. “Alright, Bitches, let’s go.” They got them in a straight line and Nicole walked at the back, still holding the taser attached to Mr. Muscles’ back and Wynonna walked next to them, making a show of Peacemaker as they went. After they shoved all three in the tight space of the back of Nicole’s cruiser, they climbed in the front. “Let’s see . . .” Wynonna lifted the gun to the one the other officer’s arrested and it glowed red. She shifted towards the scared fat one in the middle and it showed the same result. “Welp.” She climbed out and looked towards the Sheriff with a wink. “Follow behind me. I know a place.” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       In not even five minutes, they pulled up to the edge of the woods that seemed to hold a shooting range. There were a couple of paper targets on some hay bails and part of a wood fence with one or two old cans resting on top of it. Nicole climbed out and got the trio out, making them go sit pretty against the fence. “So. What’s the plan?” She asked when Wynonna reached her.

       She stared at her for a second. “I’m going to send them to h-e-double hockey sticks,” she responded in an annoyingly high voice. 

       “Ok, then do it. I need to get home soon.” She lifted her gun and shot at the two cans out of boredom, knocking them each off. 

       Wynonna turned towards them with a sigh. “Adios, mi amigos. Bon voyage!” Nicole cocked an eyebrow at her both Spanish and French but looked towards them after the first firey hole opened up, and continued to watch until they were all gone. 

       She always had to blink a few times to make sure she wasn't going insane after watching a Revenant be downed. She hadn't realized that when she moved to a town called  _ Purgatory  _ that part of her job would actually include  _ hunting  _ and  _ killing demons _ . But it's Purgatory. Who knows what you're going to find. 

       The brunette let out a wince and placed her hand on her stomach. "Dude, I get that it's exciting and all, but chill  _ out _ ." She looked up at the somewhat concerned redhead before smiling and grabbing her hand, pressing it on the area near the top of her stomach. 

       A small smile pushed onto her face, feeling the kicks from above the skin. "Hey, you." She tapped her finger over the area that the kicks were landing. "Quit bothering your mom while she's busy being a badass." 

       Wynonna raised her head with a small smirk, but her eyes widened as she felt the movement subside. "Damn, Haughy," she started with a laugh. "I need you around all the time if she's gonna listen to you like that." 

       Nicole pushed her hands in her pockets with a smile as they turned back to the cars. "What can I say, there's just something bout me that you Earp's  _ love _ ." 

       The brunette rolled her eyes. " _ Love _ is a  _ strong  _ word."

       She bumped her with her shoulder. "You love me, don't even try it." 

       " _ You love me _ ," Wynonna mimicked as Nicole stopped in front of her cruiser to look over her arm again. “See ya later, Red.”

       “Hey, uh, you’re off tomorrow, right?” She asked, looking up at her. 

       “ _ Pshh _ , I make my  _ own  _ hours.” 

       “Ok, whatever. Are you gonna be busy tomorrow?” 

       “Probably not, why?” 

       The Sheriff walked around and opened her car door. “Good. I’ll be at the Homestead at 12 to pick you up.” 

       “Wait, why? Where are we going?” 

       She got in and started it, rolling her window down and sticking her head out. “You’ll see! Just be ready!” And with that, she sent Waverly a text saying she was on her way, put the car in drive, and drove off while Wynonna flipped her off. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole parked the car in front of the house, doing a jog up to the front door to get out of the sudden blizzard that had decided to come about. She pushed the door open, slowing to a stop as she closed it behind her, tracing her eyes around the living room and kitchen. 

       The lights were slightly dimmed and the floors were dusted in a layer of pink and red rose petals. The candles that were set around everywhere matched the color scheme and the low music humming through the speakers pulled it all together. 

       Though the air left her lungs at the sight of her girlfriend walking towards her. 

       She, of course, had gotten herself all dolled up with curled hair and makeup. The top of the two-piece dress she was wearing was black and hugged her figure, leaving a few inches of her stomach in view, while the light pink bottom was looser and flowed down to her knees. 

       Waverly smiled, running her hand down her stomach when she stopped in front of her, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth, the three-inch black heels bringing her closer to her face than usual. 

       Nicole was quite surprised by the whole ordeal considering that she had told her they were eating  _ out _ for Valentine’s Day, and judging by all the smells drifting throughout the house, they were most definitely eating  _ in _ . 

       “Baby,” Nicole mumbled with a happy pout. “What’s all this for?” 

       “Mm, cause I love you,” she smiled, leaning into another kiss. “And cause almost everything  _ everywhere  _ was already booked, but still. This is better, anyway.” 

       The redhead chuckled, rubbing her thumbs on the part of her bare waist. “I agree.” 

       Waverly grinned, but paused, furrowing a worried brow at her. She grabbed her hands, holding her arms away from her body as she looked over her dirty uniform. “Where’re you hurt a-” She turned her arm after seeing the ripped bit. “ _ Nic _ ,” she sighed. 

       “I’m fine, Baby.” She kissed the tip of her nose, walking around her and putting her gun in the gun safe, pulling her boots off. “Ima go change, ok?” 

       “ _ Closet door _ ,” she coughed with a smirk. Nicole raised a questioning eyebrow at her as she walked towards their room. “Don’t let the cats out. I already had to dig a rose petal out of Geronimo’s mouth.”

       She let out a laugh, shaking her head as she opened the door and closed it immediately behind her, seeing both cats waiting by the door after hearing her approaching. She slowly walked over to the closet with a dopey smile. Was she surprised that she had gone out and bought her a button-down in the exact same color as the pink on her dress? Absolutely not. Did she love it? Absolutely yes. She pulled her uniform off and slipped the pre-ironed shirt on, buttoning it up and grabbing her fitted black dress pants that were hanging next to it. She tied the black tie around her neck, almost not realizing that it had tiny red heart outlines all over it, for they were so small. 

       After making her hair and face look as presentable as she could, she wandered back out with her hands in her pockets, watching Waverly’s eyes widen as she did a once over of her before smiling below a deep blush, continuing to move about the kitchen to get the last of the food ready. Nicole couldn’t tell you what she was making. It was probably some super fancy recipe she found that had a 20-word name in a different language. 

       She sat down at the table that was decorated with the whole nine yards. A fancy table cloth, roses in a vase with some more rose petals sprinkled about the tabletop, and wine glasses with a bottle of Pinot Noir in between them. “We could have literally sprawled out on the couch and eaten Pizza Rolls, Babe. You know that, right?” 

       “We  _ could  _ have,” she agreed as she set a plate in front of her and sat down on the opposite side of the table. “ _ But _ this is more fun. And I felt like getting dressed up, either way.” 

       Nicole smiled as she poured them each a glass, sliding her’s towards her. “I mean, I’m not complaining  _ obviously _ .” She let out a breath as she looked around the house again in awe. “But I just want to make sure you knew you didn’t  _ have  _ to.” 

       “I know I didn’t  _ have  _ to, Baby.” She cupped her hand over the redhead’s with a squeeze. “But you deserve this,” she ended with a small shrug. 

       Nicole’s cheeks went red with a bashful smile. “. . . I  _ do _ love being able to eat a fancy dinner in fancy clothes barefoot.”

       Waverly rolled her eyes as she brought the glass to her lips, poking the top of her foot with the end of her heel. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The night had ended with them both drunk off wine and slow dancing to the best of their ability in the living room until the power got knocked out from the snowstorm, which wasn't unusual for Purgatory. They then continued to slow dance, only now without music. 

       After an hour of drunken chit chat, they realized that the house was getting a little chilly considering that the heater wasn't able to run. So. They did what one does when you're cold and drunk. 

       They built a pillow fort. 

       "Gimme that end," Nicole giggled, reaching for the part of the blanket in the brunette's hand. She handed it to her, and Nicole draped it over the back of the chair to complete it. "I told ya, Man. I'm the pillow fort  _ master _ ." 

       Waverly happy clapped before pulling her heels off and crawling into the entrance, the floor being layered with every blanket they didn't use and every pillow they could find. 

       The redhead went to get in behind her but stopped with a gasp. "I gotta idea!" Waverly cocked an eyebrow as she heard her feet quickly padding off to the bedroom. She returned a minute later, flicking something in the entrance before dropping down and crawling in with a slight wince. 

       "What?" The brunette questioned as Nicole flipped to her back on the mountain of pillows and tugging her in between her legs. 

       "Knees're hurtin'," she mumbled as she wrapped them in blankets when Waverly leaned back on her, handing her the iPad. 

       "Why?" 

       "You go be a catcher for 13 years straight 'n tell me how you're feelin' after," she laughed, running her thumb across her stomach as she pulled up Toy Story 3 with the other hand. 

       The smaller girl let out a small huff, flipping over to look at her face. “How many times  _ have  _ you gotten hurt?” 

       Her brows went up at the question, but they came together as she got to thinking about it. “Uh . . . Well, I broke my collarbone when I was 7 after I landed wrong tryin’ to block a kick in soccer. Then I got my first concussion when I got plowed over by this fat bitch in basketball when I was 10ish. I was out for half the softball season in my 8th-grade year with tendinitis in one of my knees, I don’t remember which one. And  _ then _ when soccer season rolled around that year, I jammed my thumb really bad. That’s why I can’t write worth a shit cause it still don’t move right.”

       “Ahhh,” Waverly nodded with a smile, taking her hand when she popped her thumb in and out of place in front of her face. 

       “Let’s see . . . ‘Nother concussion Freshman year when my friend flipped me off of a four-wheeler while we were muddin’. Fractured my ankle when this guy intentionally collided with me at home plate durin’ my Junior year . . . And then I split my chin open in Senior year. I was wasted ‘n jumped off the bleachers by the football field durin’ the Homecomin’ game . . . Yea, I got ‘n ISS for that . . .” 

       “You’re accident-prone.”

       “Ya think?” 

       "I do think, yea,” she laughed. 

       “That’s just the  _ major  _ stuff.” She held her hands out in front of her, wiggling her fingers. “I’ve broken all these bad boys too many times to count. Half of ‘em are crooked. ‘N college was just full of stupid shit. Like, ya know, breakin’ 3 ribs and your elbow after slidin’ down a flight of stairs on a longboard. ‘N tryin’ to run through a wall, but nailin’ a stud with the top of your head . . . That one was stitches  _ and  _ a concussion.” 

       “What the fuck’s  _ wrong  _ with you?” Waverly laughed with a shake of her head. “‘N three concussions? That explains a lot.” 

       “Hey now,” she warned with a small smirk. “Four actually, thanks to Wynonna.” Waverly rolled her eyes. “What about you, huh? How much blood’ve  _ you  _ shed over the years?” 

       “Not  _ that  _ much,” she huffed. “Willa sat on me and yanked on my arm too hard when I was 4 and ended up dislocating my shoulder. And she  _ accidentally _ threw ‘er math textbook at me and made me have to get stitches above my eyebrow a couple months later . . . The rest’s mostly jus’ from cheer. I tore my hip flexor in 6th grade on a bad kick. They  _ dropped  _ me and didn’t  _ catch  _ me when I was flying my Sophomore year and I got a concussion. And then I got dropped  _ again _ my Junior year and chipped my tailbone. I had a couple of sprained wrists and ankles here and there, but I think that’s it- Oh! I got shot by a tranquilizer dart once and  _ still _ made it to band practice.” 

       She blinked at her for a second. “. . . How the hell-” 

       “I have  _ no _ idea,” she sighed.

       Nicole chuckled a bit. “Well. Now you’ve got another to add to your list.” She ran her finger lightly down the bridge of her nose, the bruising peaking through despite her attempts to cover it up with makeup. 

       “ _ So exciting _ ,” she deadpanned. 

       Nicole smiled, rolling them both to their sides and wrapping a strong arm around her, pulling her back closer to her front as she placed her chin on her head and handed her the iPad to hold. She hit play on the movie and they both relaxed into the night, having had the best Valentine’s Day they could have ever asked for. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These last couple have been really choppy and almost unnecessary, I KNOW, ok? And I know you guys know, too, because all I've really gotten is radio silence lately.  
> But we are getting somewhere, I promise.  
> Cause, ya know, someone's a little bit preggers.


	67. Now I'm Lying to My Fricking Cat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'm flipping out. The cast is gonna be at a con in St. Louis this weekend and thats within 45 MINUTES of me.   
> AND I CANT FRICKING GO BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE $200 LAYING AROUND, BUT STILL, I HOPE THEY HAVE A GOOD TIME IN MY HOMELAND OF THE BIPOLAR MIDWEST and let's hope no one gets shot in the near vicinity of them cause that happens maybe a little too much BUT IT'S OK
> 
> Anyways.  
> Here's this one!
> 
> If you're reading this, you are most likely fine with all the trigger warnings I've given out so far so  
> yea  
> Some stuff is mentioned in this one

“This is some bullshit,” Wynonna grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. 

       The couple threw her a glare. “A due date is just an  _ estimate _ , Nonna,” her sister reminded. They were all sitting in the Homestead living room, and it was late on the 4th of March. Let’s just say that she wasn’t too happy about still having to haul around the full-grown baby that was living in her uterus. 

       “Get out of me!” She groaned, poking her finger into her stomach a few times. 

       Nicole sighed with a shake of her head as she raised a beer to her lips, tapping her toe against the air as her foot laid across her knee.

       “Your water better not bust all over that damn couch, Girl,” Gus warned from beside her, looking up from her crossword puzzle. 

       “What do you want me to do, go sit in the bathtub?” 

       Gus threw her a look, smacking her leg with the book. “If you go wash that cup I watched you  _ set in the soapy water _ , she just might decide that you’re worthy of her presence.” 

       “Well when I go and  _ evict _ her, she isn’t gonna have a choice, now is she?” 

       Gus raised her eyebrows in warning. “ _ Go _ .” She pushed herself to her feet with a sigh. 

       “You ready to get going?” Nicole asked, tapping on Waverly’s shoulder with the hand she had draped across the back of the couch.

       She pushed herself up from leaning back into her, standing to her feet with a stretch. “Yea,” she yawned. 

       Nicole smiled as she got to her feet. “You call us right away if anything changes and we’ll be right back up here, alright?” She said to Gus.

       “I will,” she said with a smile. “But I don’t suspect anything to. Their mother was at least a week late with the three of them, I’m sure it will be the same for her.” 

       “Better not  _ fuckin _ ’ be!” Wynonna shouted from the kitchen. 

       The trio laughed quietly at her. “Bye, Wy!” “See ya, Earp!” The couple called as they waved to Gus and made their way to the door. 

       “Bye, Shitheads. I  _ better  _ see you soon.” 

       They walked out to the Jeep, shaking their heads with smiles. “Can you drive?” Waverly asked, holding out her keys. 

       She cocked an eyebrow at the request but took them anyway. “Sure, Baby.” They climbed in and Nicole pulled away, dropping her right hand to its usual space on her thigh and pulling gently at the inside hem of her jeans with her middle finger. “You ok?” 

       “Hmm?” She lifted her head slightly from the window. “Yea, I’m just tired.” 

       She looked at her for a second before turning her attention back to the road. “Just tired?” 

       “Mhm,” she sighed. “Long day at Shorty’s.” 

       “Mk, Love . . . We’ll head to bed when we get home.” Nicole knew she was lying, but she wasn’t going to push it. Waverly knew she was lying, too. And not that she  _ wasn’t  _ tired and that she  _ didn’t  _ have a long day. It was just that she wasn’t tired  _ because  _ she had a long day at Shorty’s. 

       She was tired because she had been on edge since 3 PM when one of the waiters walked behind her, touching her hip and brushing his front against her back as he squeezed between her and the kitchen door. He wasn’t doing it to cause harm or to be like  _ that _ . He just  _ literally  _ needed to get through with the tray of food for the usual impatient customers that came in to eat right before the dinner and bar rush, thinking that the kitchen staff would magically work ten times faster then. 

       She didn’t know what it was about it that freaked her out, but it did. She had spun around with a shriek, and in doing so, spooked him and made him drop the tray on the floor. He wasn’t mad or anything. He actually felt bad and made it clear that it wasn’t her fault because he was the one who scared her while she helped him clean it up. And maybe he should have been because he ended up not getting a tip, for the people had to wait longer to get their food because a new batch had to be made, and he was a High School kid just trying to rake in some cash. But he wasn’t. And she was glad because that would have just made it worse. 

       But she really didn’t know what it was about it that scared the shit out of her. She had been touched by drunk guys plenty since her attack and been able to go back to her old ways of politely declining their usually sexual offers or telling them off, depending on the situation. One unfortunate drunk that had decided to vigorously grab her ass  _ right _ in front of Nicole a few months back had almost gotten choked to death against the bar and  _ probably  _ would have gotten his throat slit if she wouldn’t have left her switchblade at the Station on accident. The only reason he hadn’t been suffocated was because the brunette (with the help of Shorty) had pried her adrenaline-infused body off of him. 

       The redhead most definitely got a talking to after that. 

       Maybe it was that it was her hip and back specifically or that the anniversary of it was coming up in  _ nine  _ days. Or maybe it was a mixture of the two. But whatever it was had her freaked the fuck out. 

 

       The couple arrived at the house and went inside, changing into some pajamas before climbing into bed. Nicole leaned over as Waverly was putting her hair up in a messy bun and planted a goodnight kiss on her lips before dropping down onto her stomach and tugging the blanket around her body. 

       Waverly laid down and looked over at her with a frown. She flipped on her side to face her and ran her thumb over her hand a few times. Nicole opened her eyes slightly, seeing her pout. She smiled and flipped to her back, flopping her arm out on the bed as an invitation. The brunette scooched closer, hitching her leg over her’s and resting her head on her chest as Nicole hugged her arm around her. Waverly let out a content sigh as she balled up the extra fabric of her t-shirt in her fist near her shoulder, closing her eyes and focusing in on the sound of her heartbeat. “Love you, Cole.” 

       “Love you, Wave.” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Eight days went by and Wynonna was  _ still  _ pregnant. And  _ still _ crabby. Doc was having a hard time being around her for more than 10 minutes at a time, though he was trying his best to be the best baby daddy he could be. 

       Waverly had tried to go spend the day over there on her day off, but after a few hours, she had made up an excuse to go home. 

       So. Now she was making an attempt to grind through some school stuff. She was doing great on her Bachelor’s degree so far. She already knew it was going to take a bit longer than her Associate’s did, which she completed in 8 months. But that was just a checkpoint. She had always been “working” on her Bachelor’s, she had just picked that up at the halfway point. Now that she was on the last half, the work was harder and more time consuming and she already knew 6 months down the road would have to be spent  _ actually _ student teaching. There was no way to shorten it like she had with her school work. 

       To her luck, though, she had tested out of a couple of her classes. She didn’t have to take a math, English, science,  _ or  _ French course anymore, so that shaved a  _ huge  _ chunk of time off. 

       Right now, she was typing up a paper for her Philosophy of Education class. And she wasn’t gonna lie, it was pretty boring. She usually didn’t get bored with her school work, but there were a few exceptions. And maybe it was the fact that she’d rather be hanging out with Nicole, for she hadn’t seen her since 7 the night before and it was noon. But she was busy stacking an assembly at the High School about drunk driving with Nedley  _ on top of  _ her 20-hour shift. Either way, she was getting it done slowly but surely.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole had texted the brunette after she left the High School around 2, saying that she could come hang out with her at the station for a bit if she wanted, but she was now on her way home after her shift, never having gotten a text back. She figured she was busy with Wynonna, so she hadn’t pushed it. 

       She was a little confused, though, seeing the Jeep parked outside the house when she pulled up. She shrugged it off, grabbing her jacket off the seat next to her and heading up to the front door, trying to keep herself awake long enough to get some food in her and change out of her uniform before passing out,  _preferably_ on the bed. 

       “ _ Champ, no! Get off me! Stop it!! _ ” 

       Nicole’s heart jumped to her throat as she spazzed the key around on the door handle, getting it unlocked after a few tries. She swung the door open and rushed in, her eyes falling to her girlfriend flailing around on the living room floor between the couch and the coffee table. She tossed her jacket onto the recliner and shoved the table out of the way, pinning Waverly’s limbs down as she continued to scream her lungs out. 

       “Wave! It’s not real! He’s not here, it’s just a nightmare!” 

       The brunette’s eyes popped open after a few more seconds, tracing over her terrified face. Nicole let go of her wrists, sitting up and leaning back onto her feet in between her legs so she didn't crowd her. “Oh my God,” Waverly breathed, chest heaving in and out as she brought her hands up to cover her face. 

       “C’mere, Baby,” Nicole said softly, leaning back against the couch. She sat herself up, moving to her lap and pushing herself close to her chest as she tried to hold the sobs in while the tears rolled down her cheeks. The redhead hugged her arms tightly around her shivering body, pushing her face into the top of her head. “You’re ok,” she whispered. “Just breath, Love.” 

       She took a few minutes to calm herself down as the older girl whispered reassurances every so often. She finally lifted her head a bit, looking up at Nicole as she rubbed her puffy eyes. “I didn’t even know I fell asleep,” she mumbled. 

       Once she had finished her paper, she had laid down and messed around on her phone. But she must have dozed off at some point, and when the nightmare started, knocked herself to the floor. 

       “Is this the first one you’ve had in a while?” 

       “First one like that, yea.” 

       Nicole pushed some hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “What d’you mean?” 

       She bit the side of her lip, looking away from her face for a millisecond. “. . . I’ve been having them all week, just not like  _ that _ .” 

       Her brow furrowed sadly. “Wave . . . Why didn’t you tell me?” 

       “I dunno,” she mumbled. “They weren’t that bad . . .” 

       “Still.” 

       She let out a sigh, snuggling her face into her neck. “I’m sorry.” 

       “No.” Nicole rubbed her hand up and down her arm. “Just tell me when stuff like that happens, Baby. I mean, tomorrow is . . .  _ a year _ . I expect it to be hard.” She felt another shiver travel through her body, so she hugged her tighter. “I . . . I think you should take off tomorrow, Love.” 

       “No . . . I’ll be fine,” she mumbled, wiping her face once more and slowly standing up off of her lap. 

       The Sheriff pushed herself to her feet. “It’s gonna mess with your head having to be where it happened all day.” 

       “I  _ said  _ I’ll be fine.” She turned, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a water bottle. 

       Nicole pursed her lips, following her over. “It’s better to be safe than sorry, Waves.”

       Waverly whipped around to face her, slamming the bottle down on the counter. “I’m not a  _ baby _ , Nicole! If I think I will be fine going into the place where  _ I wasn’t even raped _ , might I add, then I’m gonna go!” 

       Her eyes went wide at the sudden outburst. “Would you  _ stop  _ saying that? God, Waverly, it doesn’t matter  _ what  _ happened. What matters is that it  _ did _ happen and that he  _ did  _ hurt you.” 

       “Yea, he pushed me against the wall and tried to make out with me!  _ Big  _ whoop!” She waved her hands in the air as she pushed past her. 

       “ _Hey_!” Nicole grabbed her arm, turning her back towards her. “I just came home to you _screaming_ _in your sleep on the living room floor_. _Don’t you dare_ try and act like it _didn’t affect you_! I was _there_ , remember? I _saw_ what he was doing. So don’t _fucking_ tell me you are _fine_ , Waverly Earp, because I _can’t_ walk in and find a knife next to the bed again.” 

       The brunette’s eyes went wide and her mouth came open slightly, having heard how much her voice broke with the last sentence. Nicole glanced down as she swallowed the ball of emotions in her throat, letting go of her arm and walking past her with a sigh. She knew she had just made her mad and was too tired to get yelled at without snapping back again. 

       “. . . I meant it when I said I’d never do it again.” 

       The redhead stopped, turning back toward the soft voice, now seeing the tears running down her cheeks. “I can’t know that for sure,” she mumbled, hugging her arms around herself. 

       Waverly walked towards her, taking her hands in her own with a sniff. “But I can. And I’m telling you _right_ _now_ that I won’t.” 

       Her face had an almost-childish look to it when she raised it slightly to look at her. “Promise?” 

       Waverly nodded, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and pulling her into a tight hug. “Promise,” she whispered. Nicole let out a breath as she hugged her arms around her waist. 

       They held the embrace for a minute before the Sheriff pulled back, wiping the final tears from Waverly’s face. “. . . I think I’ll take off tomorrow,” she said quietly, looking up at her with a small smile. 

       Nicole smiled back, leaning into a soft kiss. “I’ll make Lonnie cover my shift then.” Waverly giggled, messing with the hairs on the base of her neck. “You wanna go cuddle me to sleep?” 

       She pushed their foreheads together, landing another kiss on her lips. “If you let me read.”

       “Girl, I don’t care  _ what  _ you do as long as it ain’t botherin’ me,” she laughed as they both walked into the bedroom. Nicole switched out her uniform for some basketball shorts and a hoodie, climbing under the covers as Waverly grabbed her Kindle off the charger. 

       “C’mere.”

       The redhead scooted towards her and Waverly pulled her into a spoon, wrapping her arm around her middle and gently running her hand across her warm stomach. She leaned forward and pushed a kiss to the back of her neck before propping her Kindle up to lean against her pillow, diving into her book about Canadian Independence. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly had ended up dozing off again couple hours later around 7:30. 

       But only to be startled awake by another nightmare at 1. 

       She let out a shaky breath, pushing her face into Nicole’s back for a few seconds to calm herself down. She rolled onto her back and wiped her face of tears. She heard a quiet but concerned meow and then felt a weight walk onto her chest and sit down. She moved her hands, seeing Geronimo staring at her with a tipped head. That pushed a small smile onto her face. She sat up and pet him in her lap for a minute before picking him up and gently sliding off the bed in hopes to not wake Nicole. 

       She wandered into the kitchen and set him down on the dark kitchen counter, pressing a kiss to the top of his fluffy head. “I’m ok, Buddy,” she mumbled. She looked up at the ceiling, letting out a quiet laugh at herself. “ _Now_ I’m lying to my fricking cat.” 

       Geronimo meowed, walking closer to her and rubbing his side against her chest with a purr. She leaned forward onto the counter, tapping her fingers on it, and he pawed at them with his short arms for a few seconds before pouncing on her hand. She smiled, rolling him to his back and wiggling her fingers around on her stomach while he gnawed on her pinky. 

       Though she froze when she felt hands on her hips.

       She spun around with a shriek, pressing her back to the counter as she tried to push them off of her. 

       “ _ Baby, baby, baby _ .  _ Hey _ . It’s just me.” Nicole grabbed her hands and cupped them on her cheeks, staring into her eyes in the dark room. 

       Waverly tugged her hands back, covering her face and dropping to the floor before bringing her knees to her chest as she pressed herself as close to the bottom of the island as she could. Nicole flicked the kitchen light on and sat down in front of her with a worried brow, wrapping her hands gently around her ankles and rubbing her thumbs along them. “I’m sorry, Love. I didn’t mean to scare you.” 

       The brunette’s whole body shook as she moved her hand down, gripping Nicole’s left that was on her foot. She gave it a small tug towards her and Nicole got the message. She moved beside her and lifted her into her lap, wrapping her arms tightly around her body. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t even think about that.” 

       Waverly turned her body, leaning her head on her chest and holding one of NIcole’s arms to her front as the shakes turned into sobs. They echoed off the walls, alerting Calamity from the bedroom that something was wrong. She waddled into the kitchen, rubbing her face against her leg. The brunette laid her legs over Nicole’s left, pulling her into her lap and squeezing her like a stuffed animal. Not that she minded, though. Geronimo was soon to join the party, having been watching the ordeal from the top of the counter. He hopped down and crawled onto her legs, squishing himself between her and the orange feline.  

       The cats and Nicole seemed to help calm her down. Within a minute or so, her breathing was back to a reasonable rate. She let one more puff of air out into CJ’s fur before lifting her head and leaning it against Nicole’s shoulder. “Fuck _ ,  _ Nic,” she mumbled, wiping her face with her sleeves.

       Her voice cracked. “Babe, I didn’t-”

       “S’not your fault. I just thought . . . I woke up from a nightmare and came in here to getta drink, but I got distracted with him . . . I thought I hadn’t actually woken up or som’n.” 

       “I felt you get up ‘n figured you were goin’ to the bathroom or whatever, but then I didn’t hear the door, so I came out to see what you were doin’." She pushed their foreheads together, closing her eyes. "I'm just so sorry, Wave." 

       "Stop." She cupped her cheek, making the redhead open her eyes. "It's ok. I'm ok, alright?" 

       Nicole slowly nodded, meeting her lips softly. "Back to bed, yea?" 

       The smaller girl let out a little laugh as she climbed off her lap, setting Geronimo on Nicole as she picked Calamity up when she stood. "You've been asleep since 4, how are you _still_ tired?"

       Nicole moved to get up. "I could sleep for a  _ whole da _ -" 

       "Watch your-" 

_        Thunk.  _

       Nicole flopped back to the ground and put her hand on the top of her head, having just hit it on the bottom of the countertop. "Ow!  _ God damn counter." _

       The younger girl covered her mouth to hide a laugh as Nicole tried again, successfully standing up as she continued to rub the top of her head. "Are you ok?" Waverly giggled as she rubbed her arm. 

       “Yea,” she mumbled, face storming with a blush as she dropped the hand from her head. 

       Waverly shook her head as they walked back to the bedroom. “What’m I gonna do with you,” she sighed, setting Calamity down and crawling into bed. 

       Nicole set the grey one down next to her at the foot of the bed before laying down and pulling her closer to her front, running her short nails up and down her back as she mumbled something she couldn’t understand into the top of her head. 

       “What?” 

       She resituated her head on the pillow, pushing a kiss to her lips as the brunette looked up at her with a questioning brow. “Nothing,” she smiled.

       Waverly squinted at her for a second before sighing and pushing her face back into her chest. “Ni’ night.”

       “Night, Baby . . . Wake me up if you need to.” 

       “Mmhmmm,” she breathed out sleepily, eyelids already drooping closed. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       When they ended up coming to around 8, Nicole already knew she wanted to make it an easy-going day for them, while still keeping her distracted as much as possible. 

       So _obviously_ the 1000-piece Disney puzzle Gus had gotten for Waverly for Christmas that they still hadn’t touched yet was the way they started their morning. 

       Though maybe she should have already tried doing a puzzle with her  _ before  _ she decided it would be a good idea on their  _ relaxing  _ day.

       Because when Waverly puzzles. 

       She  _ puzzles _ . 

       Nicole dried her hands off on the towel in the bathroom, flicking the light off as she walked out and poured herself a cup of coffee. 

       “Alright. Let’s do this,” the brunette grinned as she returned from the bedroom and sat down at the island where they had dumped the box out. 

       Nicole turned around and glanced up at her as she raised her first sip of morning sunshine to her lips.

       Rightfully almost choking on it. 

       She clapped her hand over her mouth as she set the cup down to make sure she didn’t drop it out of  _ shock  _ while she tried to swallow the liquid in her mouth. 

       “I don’t see how you got through Academy if you can’t even  _ drink coffee _ without dying,” Waverly laughed as she got up and walked over to her. 

       “ _ Who _ gave you  _ permission _ , Jesus  _ fucking  _ Christ,” she breathed as she ogled all over her face. 

       “What?” She questioned with a cocked eyebrow. They went up with a smile after a second or two. “Oh, my puzzle glasses?” She adjusted the black, roundish-framed glasses on her face. 

       Her eyes widened. “ _ Puzzle  _ glasses ?” She asked with a slow nod. 

       “Yea! Aren’t they cute!?” 

       Nicole swallowed dryly as the smaller girl toyed with them some more. “Yea, uhm-” She cleared her throat. “T-Those puzzle glasses better  _ stay  _ puzzle glasses cause I don’t think you could handle being bent over the nearest surface every time I saw you.” 

       Her mouth fell open slightly, eyes visibly darkening as they widened. “W-What?” 

       Nicole gave her an innocent smile as she gently pulled them off her face and sauntered over to the island, spinning in one of the chairs. She stopped herself to face her, now wearing the pair herself. “Cause  _ these _ , Darlin’ . . .” She slowly pushed them down the bridge of her nose as she leaned her elbows on the counter. “Are way, way,  _ way  _ . . .” She removed them with a shake of her head, rolling her bottom lip down a little with one of the arms when she bit down onto the tip of it, staring right into her eyes. “ _ Too sexy _ .” She pulled the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth, hitching the opposite side of her top lip with a smile as she shot a wink her way. 

       Waverly stared at her for a good five seconds before rubbing her face and walking back over, sitting next to her and snatching them back out of her hand, putting them back on. “ _ They _ help me see the  _ itty bitty _ patterns without having to have my face half an inch away from the pieces,” she informed as she began to start separating the border pieces from the middle ones. 

       Nicole looked up at her from doing the same thing with raised eyebrows. “Is that right?” 

       “It is right,” she confirmed. 

       “So Miss Perfect Pants’ vision is  _ not _ so perfect?” 

       She wacked the side of her leg. “It is. These are just like a magnifying glass for my face.” 

       “. . . So they’re for what  _ normal _ people wear glasses for? To see things better?”

       Waverly glared at her. "I only need them for puzzles," she grumbled quietly. Nicole laughed a little, interlocking her right hand with her's and pushing a kiss into the back of it. The brunette shook her head at her. "Sort your damn pieces and be quiet." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all need to buckle yourselves up for the next one oo shiet


	68. My Favorite Pain in the Ass

       The dreaded 6 AM alarm awoke Nicole from her slumber, though it was not with its normal groans and complaints. She rolled over and shut it off, rolling twice to face the brunette.

       Who was not there. 

       She rubbed the sleep out of her right eye as she pushed herself up on her elbows, looking around the room for her, but she was nowhere to be found. She rolled out of bed, wandering out of the bedroom toward the smells wafting from the kitchen. She saw the brunette padding around, seeming to be making the finishing touches on breakfast. 

       “What’re you doin’?” She mumbled, tugging the sleeves of her sweatshirt over her hands and hugging her arms around her body to warm herself in the cold room. 

       Waverly turned her head to look at her as she grabbed two plates out of the cabinet. “What’s it look like I’m doin’?” She laughed. 

       She walked closer to her, leaning back onto the counter. “It  _ looks _ like you’re making breakfast.” 

       The brunette shook her head, wrapping her arms around her middle and leaning into her. “Good  _ observation _ ,” she grinned, tipping her head up into a kiss. Nicole smiled, cupping her cheek.

       Waverly pulled back after a few seconds, looking down at her hand that was resting on the space above her heart. “Why’s it going so fast?” 

       Nicole cocked an eyebrow, pushing her fingers against her neck, feeling herself just how fast her heart was pumping. She gave her a smile with a small shrug. “. . . I guess I’m just excited.” 

       “Mm.” Waverly pressed another soft kiss to her lips. “Why’s that?” 

       “I’m not sure,” she smirked, slipping her hand into the one back pocket of her sweatpants with a little squeeze. 

       The brunette tapped her fingers on her collarbone as she pretended to think about it for a few seconds. “Is it cause I  _ maybe _ decided I could  _ get used to being your girlfriend _ a year ago?” 

       Nicole giggled as Waverly pressed slow kisses all over her face. “That might be it.” 

       She dropped her face to her shoulder, squeezing around her waist a little tighter. “ _ Horrible  _ decision,” she sighed, only letting a hint of sarcasm seep through. Nicole gave her butt a warning pinch. “I’m kiddinggggg,” she smiled, rocking them side to side a little bit. 

       Nicole pushed a chaste kiss to her lips before pulling out of her arms and pouring herself a mug of coffee. She kissed the side of it. “My true love.” 

       Waverly gasped, grabbing one of the hash brown balls from the bowl on the island and chucking it at her. Nicole took a sip of her drink, easily reaching up and catching it before it could hit her face. The smaller girl let out a silent curse as the redhead threw her a wink, popping it into her mouth as she walked over and sat down. She sat down beside her, grabbing one of the pieces of french toast and dropping it onto her plate. “You could at least let me throw something at you and  _ not  _ catch it  _ once _ .” 

       “I have!” 

       “Yea, when I throw it at your back!” 

       “That is  _ not  _ true!” 

       “ _ That is not true _ ,” she mimicked in an annoyingly high voice. 

       Nicole scoffed, bumping her with her elbow. Waverly knocked her back with her shoulder. The redhead jabbed her in the ribs with a stiff finger and she reached over, snatching up another hash brown and dropping it right in her cup, sticking her tongue out at her. 

       Her mouth dropped open and she snapped her head towards her. “How  _ dare _ you!” 

       “You didn’t catch it  _ that  _ time, DIDJA?!” 

       Nicole huffed, fishing out the ball and dropping it onto her napkin. She turned her head and stared the brunette dead in the eyes, bringing the mug to her lips and taking a long sip. 

       “ _ EW _ , stopp! Oh my God!” She grabbed the mug and pulled it away from her mouth with a disgusted look on her face. 

       Nicole laughed as she watched her get up and pour her a new cup of coffee. “When d’you even get up this morning?” She questioned when Waverly sat back down. 

       “5,” she answered through a mouthful. 

       “5?! Why?!” 

       “ _ Because. _ I needed time to get all this made before you got up.”

       “Why didn’t you sleep in? You don’t have to work until 9,” Nicole asked with a furrowed brow. 

       “ _ I _ wanted to make  _ my Baby _ breakfast before she had to go to work since  _ you  _ are taking us out to do  _ whatever you are taking us to do _ tonight,” she informed, pointing at her with the end of her fork. 

       Nicole smiled, lightly bumping her thigh against her’s. “Thank you, Love,” she mumbled. “I’m so excited to work out and burn  _ all of this cheat day food  _ off tomorrow.” 

       Waverly took a sip of her coffee, eyeing her over the rim. “Oh, you’ll work it off later.”

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole sat at her desk, spinning her pen about her fingers as she looked up at the clock for the 300th time in the last hour. She only had to make it through 4 more hours, but time seemed to be ticking at a snail's pace. 

       She glanced up at the knock on her door, sitting back in her chair and smoothing her shirt out. "Come in!" The door opened, and in walked the Watermelon Lady, plopping down in the chair in front of her desk. "Since when do  _ you  _ knock?" 

       "It y'alls anniversary and your door was closed. I figured you two'd be in here making a baby or something."

       Nicole threw her a look. "She's at work, Wynonna." The brunette shrugged, opening the McDonald's bag on her lap and pulling two burgers out, tossing one at her. Nicole caught it, looking up at her with an unsure brow. "What'd you do to it?" 

       Wynonna took a bite off her's, talking with a mouthful, "What d'you mean  _ what'd I do to it _ ?" 

       "I mean, you usually don't go around giving food to people unless you’re pulling some shit." 

       She threw her hand out. "I didn’t do nothing to it! I just figured you probably didn't take off for lunch and Asshole was craving Mickey D's." 

       Nicole opened the paper, carefully thumbing through it before trusting she was telling the truth and taking a bite. "Why'd you figure that?" 

       "Cause I know you're too busy thinking about  _ today  _ to wanna eat." 

       Nicole swallowed a little harder than necessary, pursing her lips and slumping in her chair a little. “Aren’t you supposed to be on bed rest?” 

       “Meh.” 

       “Doctor’s orders, Earp. You’re gonna end up hurting yourself or the baby.” 

       “Well, I figure if I give her what she wants,  _ maybe _ she will want to come out,” she defended. 

       The redhead blinked at her for a second. “I  _ really  _ don’t think that’s how it works.” 

       “Well, Sheriff.” She tossed her ball of burger paper at her and Nicole caught it with a huff. “I don’t think  _ you _ are a doctor.” 

       “Well, Earp.” She basketball-shot the ball into the trashcan by her door. “I don’t think  _ you _ are a doctor either.” 

       “ _ I _ have my GED.” 

       “ _ I  _ have a degree in Criminal Justice,” she snarked, pointing to the diploma hanging on her wall.

       “ _ Wow _ , look at you.” 

       “I know right? I’m really just  _ that  _ amazing.”

       Wynonna rolled her eyes as Nicole popped the last bit of her burger into her mouth with a smirk, clicking around on her computer. “I don’t know how she deals with you 24/7,” the brunette grumbled. 

       “I don’t know how  _ anyone  _ deals with you  _ ever _ .” She heard her phone ringing, so she picked it up off her desk, tilting the screen towards her. “Speak of the devil.” She pushed her phone to her ear, leaning back in her chair. “Ello?” She answered with her usual horrible British accent. 

       “Hey, Nic,” Waverly answered. “. . . Where’re you at right now?” 

       She sat up slightly, hearing a hint of discomfort in her voice. “I’m at the station with your sister, why?” 

       “Isn’t she on bed rest?” 

       She met Wynonna’s eyes, tipping her head with a mock-snotty look on her face. “She’s  _ supposed  _ to be, ya.” The older brunette rolled her eyes. “What’s going on, Babe?” 

       “Can you come up here? . . . I think this guy’s on crack.” 

       Her eyebrows went up. “What?! Who?” 

       “I don’t know who he is, I’ve never seen him before. But he’s acting really weird and keeps bothering people. Shorty told me to call you cause he won’t leave.” 

       Nicole stood up, walking around her desk. “Alright, Honey, I’m on my way.” She pulled her jacket on. “D’you think I’ll need backup or can I handle it on my own?” 

       “He’s like 5 inches taller than me, but probably weighs the same. I think you’ll be good.” 

       Nicole laughed a little bit at that. “Ok. Let me know if anything happens before I get there.” 

       “Will do. Thanks, Baby.” 

       “No problem. I’ll be there in five.” 

       “Mk, see you in a bit.” 

       “Buh-bye.” She hung up and pushed her phone in her pocket, looking towards Wynonna’s questioning face. “Crackhead at Shorty’s,” she informed. 

       “Oo, can I come?” She asked with a grin. 

       “ _ No _ . If you’re not at the Homestead by the time I get back, I’m hauling you there. Got it?” 

       Wynonna huffed with a glare. “Yes,  _ Mother _ .” 

       She smirked as she headed for the door. “I’ll text you later, alright?” 

       “I’d goddamn hope so!” 

       Nicole smiled as she walked out the door, heading outside to her cruiser and pulling out of the parking lot. 

       She arrived at Shorty’s and walked into the bar, sweeping her eyes across the room until they first landed on her girlfriend, who was leaning against the wall behind the bar with an uncomfortable look on her face. She followed her eyes over to a scrawny old guy with long brown hair and dirty clothes standing on top of a chair, doing some dance moves. Everyone seemed to be keeping their distance from him if they weren’t just leaving the bar. 

       She let out a sigh as she pulled some rubber gloves on, looking back over to the brunette. Waverly met her eyes and she shook her head as she approached him, tucking her thumbs in her belt. “Sir, I’m gonna need you to get down for me,” she informed calmly but still stern. 

       He spun around to face her, eyes widening at her uniform. “Nuh-uh!” He jumped up onto the table and crossed over to the chair on the other side. 

       She pursed her lips. “This isn’t a playground. Get off the chair.” He muttered nonsense to himself as he jumped chairs again when she went to approach him. “Sir, I’m not gonna tell you again. Get down. Now.” 

       He moved back onto the table, standing in the middle and spinning around. “Ha ha, you can’t catch me!” 

       She let out an annoyed raspberry before reaching up and catching one of his arms. “Don’t think I won’t drag you off this table.” 

       His eyes widened and his right hand went to the back of his pants. Her breath caught as she predicted his next move, letting go of his arm and yanking her glock out of its holster, pointing it at him just as a pistol aimed back at her. Her head snapped towards the brunette. “Waverly, get everyone out!” She nodded and did so, despite the look of shock on her face. Nicole reached up with her free hand and tipped her head towards her shoulder, pressing the button on her radio. “Haught to any available units, requesting backup for a suspected 10-56 with a 10-32 at Shorty’s. Come in slowly.” 

       She got a handful of responses immediately, so she continued to try and calm the man from his agitated state. “I don’t wanna hurt you. Just put it down and this will go a lot smoother.” 

       “You first.”

       She shook her head. “That’s not how it works, Bud. Put it down so we can go outside and talk.” 

       The man was shifting back and forth on his feet, his arm shaking from the weight of the gun and his nutrient-deprived state. “Just shoot me! I know you wanna!” 

       “No. I don’t want to shoot you. That’s the  _ last  _ thing I want to do.” She heard the door open and saw Pearson and Schmitt walk in, guns raised. “You’re outnumbered, Man. Just put it down.” His eyes flicked nervously between the three a few times as his arm continued to shake, but before she could say anything else, he switched the gun from her to his own head and closed his eyes. “ _ DON’T _ !” She holstered her weapon, putting both hands up. “Hey, look at me!” He opened his eyes slightly. “Don’t you pull that trigger. That is  _ not  _ how this is gonna end.” She stepped forward, gripping her hands onto the table edge. 

       His eyes snapped closed again like she had secretly hoped. She looked quickly back at her deputies as a warning of what was to come and pushed up on the table, flipping it backward to knock him off. 

       The two behind her quickly ran up as she vaulted over the top, pouncing on the man before he gathered his bearings, grabbing onto the arm with the gun. 

_        POW! _

 

**___**

 

       Waverly rubbed her hands over her shirt covered arms as she looked past Shorty at the door. “I didn’t know he had a gun,” she mumbled. 

       “Hey.” He tipped her head towards him and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Nobody knew he had a gun. Sheriff Haught and those two boys’ll be just fine getting him out of there.” 

       “But she asked if she should bring back up and I told her n-” 

_        POW _ !

       Waverly jumped at the gunshot, along with everyone else that was still standing around. Her eyes popped out of her head and she immediately pushed past her boss towards the door. “No, no, stop.” He wrapped his arms around her front and pulled her back to his chest, keeping her from moving forward. “You’re not going in there.” 

       She pushed at his arms, trying to wiggle out of his grip. “Shorty, that was a pistol shot! He just shot h-” She stopped when someone stepped in front of her and pushed on her shoulders. Her eyes focused in on their face, revealing Gus.

       “You better stop before I knock you out, Girl. You’re not goin’ in there.” 

       “LET ME GO!” She cried as tears began to carve paths down her cheeks. 

       Everyone around went quiet as their eyes locked on either the door or the struggling trio. Their relationship was never much of a secret considering that they were labeled the Town’s Sweethearts, so no one was surprised that she was screaming bloody murder. And they were all as worried as her. That was their Sheriff that they knew would be damn-hard to replace if something happened to. She was the best thing that had happened to the town in a while. 

       “GUS, SHE COULD BE HURT OR- OR-” 

       The bar door came open and the brunette held her breath, watching Schmitt walk out and hold it open. Soon after came Pearson, dragging the crackhead by one arm while Nicole held onto the other, all three unscathed. 

       The redhead looked up, seeing her girlfriend wrapped in Shorty’s death grip, tear stains all over her face. She turned her head towards Schmitt, “Take ‘em to the station.” She let him replace her spot keeping him from trying to get away, handing him his pistol before quickly heading towards Waverly. 

       Shorty let her go and she immediately took off towards Nicole, jumping into her arms and wrapping her limbs around her like a koala bear. Nicole hugged her arms around her, pushing one hand to the back of her head. “I’m ok, Baby,” she whispered. 

       Waverly simply hugged her tighter as she tried to calm her racing heart, telling her brain over and over that everything was ok. Nicole slowly ran her hand up and down her back as her fingers tightened into her shoulders. 

       After a minute, she slowly lifted her head and Nicole moved her hands under her thighs to hold her up as she wiped her eyes. She met her’s and the redhead gave her a small smile. She dropped her forehead to her’s, letting out one last heavy breath. “What even  _ happened _ ?” 

       Nicole sighed as she began to retell the events from after Waverly had gotten people out. “. . . And when I pushed his hand to the ground, his finger was on the trigger, so it went off on accident. I think it hit the leg of the pool table, actually.” 

       Waverly smiled, rolling her eyes. She gave her a quick kiss and dropped her legs, letting her set her down, but still keeping close to her front. “I’m just glad you’re ok.” 

       Nicole dropped her hands to her waist, giving her hip a squeeze. “What a way to go, huh?  _ Killed by crackhead _ .” 

       “ _ Stop _ !” She smacked her chest with a scoff. 

       Nicole gave her a  _ not so sorry _ smile, leaning in and kissing her forehead before pulling her into a hug. “I’ll see you later, ok?” 

       “Mhm,” she mumbled, taking in a deep breath. 

       “Are you smelling me again?” 

       “Mhm.” 

       “ _ Weirdo _ .” 

       Waverly pulled back with a giggle, cupping her cheeks as she leaned in for one last kiss before letting her continue on her way for her last couple of hours of work while she headed inside to find  _ just  _ where that bullet had hit. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole pushed the front door open, getting home 10 minutes late, like  _ usual _ . Waverly glared at her from the couch. “I’m sorry! I had to finish an email!” She defended, putting her hands up as she hung her keys on the hook by the door. 

       “To  _ who _ ?” 

       “To  _ Corporate _ . We’re working on funding and pay and all that fun stuff that I don’t wanna deal with.” 

       Waverly turned the TV off and got up off the couch. “Well. Now that you  _ are  _ here, you can tell me what the hell I need to wear for tonight,” she smiled annoyedly. 

       Nicole shrugged as she set her gun in the safe and put her boots on the rack. “Doesn’t really matter.” 

       “What?” 

       She turned towards her with a cocked eyebrow. “What?” 

       “What d’you mean it doesn’t really matter?” 

       “It means exactly what I said,” she laughed. “It doesn’t really matter.” 

       They walked towards the bedroom and Waverly eyed her back. “So I  _ could  _ wear this if I wanted to?” She questioned, gesturing to her outfit, which was still her work clothes. 

       “I mean, you  _ could _ . I’m not saying you  _ should  _ cause you might get cold, but you  _ could _ .” 

       “That’s all I get? Dress a little warm?” 

       “Yep,” she nodded with a smile, pulling her tie off. 

       Waverly let out an exaggerated sigh as she moved next to her, sorting through their closet for a few minutes. After watching Nicole dress herself in a white hoodie and distressed grey jeans with the same textured jean jacket, she put together in her mind of how “fancy” she needed to be and based her outfit off that. She buttoned up a white with black stripes flannel and pulled some maroon ripped jeans up her legs, sticking her feet into her high-top Converse before heading off to the bathroom to fix her face.

       Some makeup and a maroon, black, and white beanie (with a pom-pom, of course) later, she was ready to go. 

       “Are you gonna be warm in that, Wave?” Nicole asked, bending over to tie her Vans. 

       “That’s what your jacket is for,” she winked. 

       She stood straight up with a sigh. “ _ Right _ .” Waverly gave her an innocent smile. “You wanna feed the cats and lock up the house while I start the car?” She nodded so Nicole walked outside and she headed to the kitchen, calling for the felines. 

       After turning the lock on the door, she pulled it closed behind her and climbed in the car. Nicole pulled away from the house and Waverly interlocked her fingers with her right hand’s, looking down at it as she tipped it towards her. “This happened a year ago, too,” she mumbled, running her fingers down the two scars. 

       The Sheriff looked down at it for a second. “I guess it did,” she agreed, not having put a thought to it until now. “ _ A lot _ of things happened that day.” 

       “I almost made you piss yourself.” 

       “I learned you loved unicorns.” 

       “You almost killed someone.”

       “I gave you a hickey and you blamed it on Calamity.” 

       “You learned about Black Badge.”

       “You had a panic attack in the station’s parking lot.” 

       “I gave my statement and you were being  _ really _ hot.” 

       “ _ You  _ were being really hot and  _ then  _ came on my leg.” 

       “You  _ also _ came on my leg.” 

       “But  _ you  _ got embarrassed cause you came on my leg.” 

       “And  _ you  _ got embarrassed because I asked you about how you called me your girlfriend.” 

       “Oh, and, ya know. Wynonna found Willa.” 

       “God  _ damn _ , that’s a lot of shit for one day,” Waverly breathed, shaking her head. The redhead laughed, giving her hand a squeeze. 

       They had been too busy talking about anything and everything for the last 20 minutes of the drive, so Waverly hadn’t noticed she had pulled into a parking lot until the car stopped moving and she saw her pull the keys out. She turned her head, looking out her window. “Where-” She gasped with a smile, drumming her hands on her arm.

       “I think Mama would be confused if we walked in there in red carpet attire,” she smiled as they climbed out of the car and walked towards the entrance of the Pizza House. Waverly giggled as Nicole held the door open, pressing a kiss to her cheek. 

       A waiter brought them to a booth and took their orders because they obviously already knew what they wanted. Waverly kicked her feet up on Nicole’s thighs, that huge smile still tearing her face in half. 

       “Is this a good anniversary dinner?” The redhead asked with a smirk, biting onto her straw.

       “This is  _ the best _ anniversary dinner.” 

       Nicole grinned, rubbing her thumb on her ankle. “I thought so.” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The couple finished up an hour or so later. Nicole paid and draped her jean jacket over Waverly’s shoulders before they walked out to the car. “It is chilly,” she mumbled, pushing her arms into the sleeves. 

       Nicole playfully rolled her eyes at her, leaning back against the hood of the cruiser. “Who woulda thought it’d be cold in March?” 

       “Shut up,” Waverly laughed, stepping in between her knees. She smirked, lifting her hands up above her head and rubbing them together, pretending it was a fire. 

       Nicole opened her mouth with a scoff, shoving her back. “ _ Bitch _ .” She tried to hide her smile as she walked around to the car door. 

       Waverly giggled, pushing the door closed and turning her around before pulling her down into a kiss by the strings of her hoodie. The Sheriff relaxed into the door, coaxing her closer with her hands in her back pockets. 

       It only took a couple of seconds of that to make Waverly thread her fingers through her hair and cup her other hand around the side of her neck as she slid her tongue across her lip. Nicole tugged her even closer, beating her to it and darting her own tongue into her mouth. The brunette sighed into it, arching further into her as she wrapped her arm around her neck. 

       After a few minutes, Nicole remembered how they were standing in a parking lot and it was still relatively light out, so she slowed it down before finally pulling away, smiling down at her swollen pink lips. “You’re good at that,” Waverly breathed, sliding her hands down to her hips. 

       “I know, right?”

       She shook her head, unpinning her from the car and walking around to her side, climbing in. 

 

       Waverly already had an idea of where they were going next. Once they arrived at Mama’s, she had figured Nicole was going to try and recreate their first date. And she knew that included their trip to The Hill. 

       But when she slowed the car to a stop at the  _ bottom _ of the road that led up to The Hill, her eyes went wide. “ _ Baby _ . . .”

       Nicole smiled as she climbed out of the car, walking around and opening her door for her, holding her hand out. “C’mon.” 

       Waverly took her hand, looking at the rocked road that had candles on either side of it, leading the way to the top. She wrapped her arms around the redhead’s as they began to walk up the incline. “You’re too much,” she mumbled. Nicole pressed a kiss to her temple with a chuckle as they got closer to the top. Waverly noticed how the candles slowly started to taper in the path, curving it slightly to the right. 

       And then they got to a height where she could see the edge. 

       The candles closed in all the way until they were just one line, and they curved into a large heart at the edge, big enough to let the blanket that was already stretched out on the inside fit comfortably in it. 

       The brunette leaned heavily into her side with a quiet squeal, squeezing her fingers into her arm. “Niccc!” 

       The redhead looked over at her heart eyes with a bashful smile as they stepped into the heart. She stopped them in the middle and spun her in front of her, wrapping her arms around her as they both looked out at the sunset in front of them. Waverly leaned back into her, pressing a kiss to the bottom of her jaw as she cupped her hands over her’s. “I love you,” she sighed. 

       Nicole smiled, meeting her lips. “I love you, too.” She dropped her chin to her shoulder.  “. . . You know you’re my best friend, right?”

       “Yea,” she nodded as the redhead pressed a kiss to her cheek. 

       “And my better half?” 

       “Yea,” she giggled as she continued to press slow kisses to each side of her face. 

       “And my cuddle bug?”

       “Uh-huh.”

       “And my  _ second  _ favorite singer, only after Patrick Stump by a  _ hair _ .” 

       Waverly pinched her hand. “Mhm.” 

       “And literally  _ all _ of my impulse control?”

       “ _ Mhm _ .” 

       “And my favorite pain in the ass?” 

       “I  _ will  _ hit you,” she warned. 

       Nicole chuckled, pushing a kiss to her lips when she threw her a warning look. “. . . Y’know you’re my rock?” 

       “Yea,” she smiled, releasing the tension back from her shoulders. 

       “And my whole entire  _ fricking  _ world?” 

       “Yea,” she answered, feeling the blush slowly creeping up her cheeks. 

       “And the love of my life?” 

       “Yea.” 

       “And my soulmate?” 

       Waverly couldn’t help the love-struck giggle that escaped her throat. “ _ Yea _ .” She felt her go to move her hands, so she let them go, and Nicole unwrapped her arms from her and took a step back. She turned to face her and the redhead pulled her into a kiss, letting her hands come to rest on her waist. 

       She pulled away after a few seconds and looked down at her hands before looking back up into her eyes with a smile. “Now you know you’re my everything . . .  _ literally _ .” Waverly giggled again with a nod. “So, uhm . . . I was wondering . . .” She moved her hands from her hips and reached into her back pocket. 

       Before dropping to a knee. 

       “. . . If you wanted to be my wife, too?” 

       She opened the ring box and Waverly covered her hands over half of her face as her eyes widened down at her hopeful smile. Her emotions finally caught up to what just happened and tears stormed her eyes with a shriek as she bounced her knees a few times. She began to nod her head fiercely as she tried to get the word up her throat. 

       “Yea?” Nicole asked, her smile growing wider. 

       The brunette dropped her left hand from her face with another nod. “Yes!” 

       Nicole pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it on her finger as she stood up, and Waverly immediately wrapped her in a tight hug, happy crying into her shoulder. Nicole rocked them from side to side in a circle, feeling her own throat burning with emotion. 

       She pulled back after a minute, cupping the redhead’s cheeks as she kissed her with every bit of affection she had. She pulled back and Nicole wiped her cheeks. “I love you so much,” Waverly breathed, dropping her hands onto her shoulders. 

       The redhead smiled, pushing their foreheads together for a second. “I love you, too.” 

       She brought her hand closer to her face, taking her first  _ actual  _ look at the ring. “It’s beautiful,” she mumbled before letting out a little laugh. “And a Princess Cut.” 

       The band was rose gold with a double twist and the top on each side that was paved with smaller diamonds, leading to the main one in the middle. And she wasn’t a diamond expert, but if her jewelry knowledge told her  _ anything _ , it was that that diamond was a carat. Normally she’d complain about her doing such a thing, but she was too overjoyed with every good emotion to care. 

       She looked back up at Nicole, letting out a breath with wide eyes. “Oh my  _ God _ , we’re  _ engaged _ .” 

       “Oh my  _ God _ , we  _ are _ ,” she responded with a smile, letting it seep into the younger girl’s mind. 

       Waverly happy clapped. “Oh my God! I’m your fiancée!” 

       Nicole laughed, walking over and grabbing the whiskey bottle that was sitting at the edge of the blanket. “And I’m  _ your  _ fiancée.” She sat down and pulled her into her lap, taking a drink out of the bottle. 

       “Oh my God! We’re gonna get married!” She spun around on her knees to face her. “When are we gonna get married?!"

       “ _ Waves _ ,” she said with a laugh, holding out the bottle. “Drink.” She took the bottle, sitting down on her heels as she took a sip. “All that’s for later, alright? Right now is for . . . whatever right now entails.” 

       The brunette let out a slow breath as she turned around and leaned back into her. “Sorry, my brain’s going a million miles an hour right now.” 

       Nicole rubbed her hand on her thigh. “I know. I figured it would be.” 

       She brought her hand back up to her face. “When’d you even get it? Cause I had  _ no idea  _ this was happening.” 

       “The day after Valentine’s Day,” she admitted with a smile. “Wy helped me pick it out.”

       “Wynonna knew?!” 

       “Wynonna  _ and _ Gus knew,” she laughed. She felt her phone ringing against her leg, so she dug it out of her pocket. She cocked an eyebrow. “Speaking of Gus . . .” She answered it and put it to her ear. “Hello?” 

       “Haught Ham.” 

       “Wynonna? What do you want?” She answered, confused about why she was on her aunt’s phone. 

       “Yea, um, I think the McDonald’s worked,” she informed, the nervousness screaming through her voice now. 

       “What . . .?” She pushed her hand slightly against Waverly’s shoulder. 

       “I’m in labor.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)  
> Told ya we were getting there


	69. A Blessing and a Curse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Probably the only ch 69 ever to be written without smut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here come Baby Earp-Holliday

       “ _ WHAT _ ?!” Nicole screamed into the phone, immediately getting to her feet. 

       “Yea- Yep. Very much in labor. My water busted all over the kitchen floor. Gus is driving me and Doc to the hospital.”

       Nicole rubbed her hand on her forehead as she looked into Waverly’s wide eyes. “Oh, God. Ok. We’re on our way.”

       “ _ WAIT _ !” 

       “WHAT?!” 

       “Did you- have you . . .  _ ya know _ ?!” 

       “W- Yes, Wynonna, like 5 minutes ago, great timing.” 

       “Ok, good,” she breathed. “I thought I interrupted-  _ OH MY FUCKING- _ ” She groaned loudly into the phone as a contraction hit, so Nicole grabbed Waverly’s hand and they quickly began to head towards the cruiser. 

       “WE’RE ON OUR WAY, I’LL ESCORT YOU THERE!” She hung up the phone and shoved it in her pocket as they jogged down the rest of the way, jumping into the car. Nicole fired it up and did a quick u-turn, mashing her lights and sirens as they took off. 

       “ _ Holyshitholyshitholyshitholyshit- _ NICOLE, WE’RE GONNA BE AUNTS!” 

       The Sheriff smiled at her as she rubbed her thigh, swerving around a line of cars that had pulled to the side. “Baby Earp’s birthday is gonna be on our anniversary,” she laughed. 

       “Of course it is,” she sighed. 

       They both were on the lookout as they drove in the direction of the hospital for Gus’ navy blue sedan, knowing that’s what she’d be driving them in. “There!” Waverly shouted, pointing up ahead when they came up on a hill. Nicole pressed her foot harder on the accelerator to catch up to them, going around them and maintaining a constant speed that was easily 35 over the limit, seeing that Gus easily sped up to match it.

 

**Babygirl: How far apart r ur contractions?**

**Nonna: Idfk**

**Babygirl: Wynonna, u r  supposed to be timing them!**

**Babygirl: R they at least 10 min apart?**

**Nonna: I’ve had 2 more since I called ur wifey put it that way**

**Babygirl: K, ya ur in labor**

**Nonna: WOW THX SIS I DIDN'T REALIZE**

**Babygirl: Start timing them Dumbass**

**Nonna: Ya kinda more focused on not throwing up all over Gus’ car**

**Babygirl: THEN GET DOC TO JESUS U ARE DIFFICULT**

**Babygirl: That is the very first thing they are gonna ask when we get there, trust me**

**Nonna: OK GOD DAMN**

 

       Waverly groaned as she set her phone on her lap and rubbed her face. “I pray for this child.”

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole found a spot to park close to the entrance of the labor and delivery side of the hospital, and they both quickly climbed out of the car when Gus parked next to her. Doc climbed out of the passenger’s seat and walked over to the trunk, pulling their hospital bag out. Waverly opened the back door as Gus exited as well, looking in at a very uncomfortable Wynonna. “Babygirl.” 

       “Nonna.” 

       They made silent eye contact for a minute before she felt Nicole’s hand on her waist as she bent down to look in the car beside her. “Do you think you can walk, Earp?” 

       “Nope, she’ll slide right out.” 

       “That’s not how it work-”

       She immediately cut the redhead off. “ _ Nicole _ , I can feel her head comin’ down already, get me a damn wheelchair.” 

       Both of the couple’s eyes went wide. “Yep, ok, got it.” Nicole went around the car and jogged up to the front entrance to go and grab one. 

       Waverly grabbed her sister’s hand, helping her scoot over towards the door. “Waves, I’m scared,” she said with a helpless laugh. 

       The brunette knelt down beside her, squeezing her hand. “You’re ready. I know you are.” 

       She shook her head, dropping her chin to her chest and Waverly cupped her cheek. Nicole quickly returned with the wheelchair, so the younger girl moved out of the way as she helped her into it. 

       “Is everybody ready?” Gus asked, throwing Wynonna’s go-bag over her shoulder. 

       Nicole shut the door and pushed her towards the front of the car. “I hope so because this baby’s coming right about-  _ now _ .” Wynonna threw her head back, pushing her hands into either side of her stomach with another groan. 

       “Alright, yep, let’s go,” the redhead nodded with wide eyes. 

       They hastily made their way into the hospital, immediately being taken to a labor and delivery room. Nurses began to fly in and out of the room, one giving her a hospital gown, one trying to tell her things that were going in one ear and out the other, and another that said there could only be two people in the room during the birth. 

       Wynonna quickly shook her head as Waverly helped her begin to get changed, handing Peacemaker to Nicole with a huff as the nurse watched with wide eyes. “Yea, no. They’re all staying.” 

       “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but it’s for the safety of you and the baby. Too many people will put too much stress on the both of you.”

       “These people,” she circled her finger around as Waverly yanked her boots off her swollen feet, “are all I have. They already stress me out on the daily. They are  _ staying _ .” 

       The nurse pursed her lips as she glanced around at all their faces. “If I get in trouble, that’s on you,” she grumbled, walking out of the room. 

       Waverly looked at her sister with a smile as she pulled her shirt over her head. She slipped the gown on her and then unsnapped her bra, moving to her skinny jeans that she had no clue how she was able to fit into. 

       Nicole stood behind Doc, rubbing his shoulders as he sat blank-faced in the chair by the hospital bed. Gus was talking with her OB/GYN that was going to be delivering the baby, seeing that everyone else was a little busy in one way or another. 

 

       10 minutes later, things had calmed down a bit. Wynonna was in the bed with a bunch of drugs pumping into her, and the doctor was at the foot of the bed, getting a little handsy under the sheet that was protecting everyone else’s eyes. “Alright, you’re 10 centimeters dilated!” She grinned, standing up from her chair. 

       That certainly caught everyone’s attention. 

       Wynonna’s eyes went wide and she swallowed as she looked over to the little bed that a nurse was getting set up on the other side of the room. They drifted to Waverly, who had peeled herself away from Nicole’s side on the couch and was walking towards her. She stood next to her and grabbed her hand. “It’s ok,” she whispered. 

       Within 5 minutes, a new gaggle of nurses decked out in scrubs were in the room and two of them were propping her legs up on the stirrups. Doc was holding one of her hands and Waverly was holding the other. Nicole moved next to Waverly and Gus to Doc as the medical staff got the last minute things completed.

       “Ok, rule,” Wynonna announced through her labored breathing. “Babygirl, you’re the only one who can talk to me until this baby is out of me. Got it?” 

       They all nodded at her as her OB/GYN got settled at the foot of the bed. “Alright, Wynonna, are you ready?” 

       “ _ Nope _ ,” she quickly shook her head. 

       She raised her eyebrows above her mask. “Yea, well, I think Baby has different ideas. The next contraction should start any moment now. When it does, I need you to push for a good ten seconds for me, alright?” 

       “Ten seconds?!”

       “Ten seconds,” she confirmed. 

       Wynonna was about to complain again, but the contraction quickly came over her. 

       And then she pushed. 

       She could barely hear the doctor counting and feel Waverly’s hand pushing the hair out of her face. And when she heard her get to ten, she felt as if cotton was stuffed in her ears as she took a breather. “Good, good. Just like that. Alright, again in 5 . . . 4 . . .” 

       The next 15 minutes were almost an out of body experience for her as the routine continued. Contraction, push, breather, push, breather, push, wait, contraction, push, breather, push, breather, push, wait. 

       “You’re doing great, Wy. I can see the top of her head!” Waverly smiled as she leaned into Nicole to look when her contraction ended.

       “Not the vag you were expecting to see tonight, huh, Haughty?” She breathed as a nurse gently wiped her face down. 

       “Shut  _ up _ , Wynonna,” they both huffed, rolling their eyes at her. Of course she’d be the one to make jokes while  _ pushing out a baby _ .

       The older brunette laughed, which ended up giving the baby a little boost. “If you push hard on the next one, she should be out,” the Doctor informed. Waverly looked at her with bright eyes, giving her hand an assuring squeeze. 

       The next contraction came quickly. “ _ Shit, fuck, ok _ .” She squished her eyes closed as she gave it her all, hoping and praying that it would soon be over and done with. 

       “Keep going, keep going, keep going!” 

       She suddenly felt a pop of release and then some pulling and then.

       She heard a cry. 

       She opened her eyes just as the pink and nasty crying machine was dropped onto her chest. Her eyes got soft as she looked down at her, faintly hearing the commotion as everyone else watched Doc cut the cord. “Hi, Baby,” she cooed softly, tears beginning to run down her cheeks as a nurse wiped her down. 

       “Congratulations, Mama,” the doctor smiled. 

       “Oo, she’s got some big lungs on ‘er,” the older nurse to her left laughed as she positioned her to lay right on her bare chest, head near her neck. 

       The three women backed away, standing close together as they watched Doc kneel next to the bed to meet his daughter. He stroked a finger up and down the back of her hand. “Why, hello, Little Girl,” he smiled, tears in his own eyes when her tiny hand grasped his finger. 

       A couple of minutes later, the nurses took her to be weighed and measured, along with a deeper cleaning and some general health testing. The measurements read a whopping 9.2 pounds, 21 inches. She seemed to have a clean bill of health, so they put her in her first diaper before wrapping her up in a swaddle and popping a little pink and white hat on her head, handing her over to Doc and giving the family some alone time. 

       “Babygirl, c’mere,” Wynonna said softly after a minute, waving her over with a smile. 

       Waverly slowly walked over and Doc stood, offering her up. She looked at him with unsure eyes, balling her hands at her chest. “It’s ok,” he said with a soft smile, holding her out some more. 

       She gave in after a second, letting him gently set her in her arms, head resting in the crook of her elbow and body being held up with her forearm. She felt Nicole’s hand on her hip and her chin on her shoulder as she stood behind her, smiling down at the newborn already sucking away at a purple pacifier. “Your cheeks are so chubby!” The brunette giggled, running the thumb of her free hand across one of them. 

       “You make a cute baby, Earp,” Nicole smirked, looking up at her. She turned her head towards the cowboy. “You, too, Doc.” He chuckled with a tip of his hat. 

       Waverly tipped her head back to look at her. “Our babies’ll be cuter,” she winked. Nicole grinned, leaning into a kiss. 

       “Hey!” Wynonna shouted, making them pull away with a jump. “She’s been alive for thirty minutes and you’re already making out in front of her!” 

       Waverly threw her a dirty look but looked down when she heard a cry. She quickly turned around. “Take her,” she whined. “She doesn’t like me.” 

       “She does too, Babe,” Nicole huffed as she lifted the little one into her arms, pulling the blanket down that was riding up her chin and bouncing her softly. “Shh, I know . . . Your Mom needs to learn how to be quiet around your sensitive little ears.” And with the soft kiss she pressed to the top of her head, she stopped fussing. Nicole looked up at her fiancée with a dimpled smile, offering her back up, but she shook her head, deciding to let her have her first chance with her. 

       “It’s cause you smell like donuts,” she whispered, leaning her head on her arm. She laughed a little as Gus walk over and stood beside her with a smile. 

       “These aunts of yours are gonna spoil you rotten,” she sighed with a shake of her head. 

       Waverly grinned, running her finger up and down her stomach. “I have a feeling Auntie Cole’s gonna be getting in some trouble with you when I’m not around to supervise.” 

       Nicole gave her a guilty smile, dropping her voice to a mock-whisper. “Aunt Wavey doesn’t know your Mama lost a bet and now has to bring you home in the Rangers onesie I bought you.”

       “Oh  _ God _ ,” both of the sisters groaned at the same time. 

       Nicole smirked and turned towards Gus, handing the baby over when she sat down on the bed next to Wynonna. She set her down on her legs, propping her head up with her hand. “Lord, Alice Michelle, sometimes this family’s a blessing and a curse.”

 

**.  . .**

 

       The couple and Gus had decided to head home for the night, leaving Wynonna and John Henry to fend for themselves during their first night of parenthood. They were told that if Alice could make it through 24 hours with no problems then she could go right home. 

       And she did.

       In her Rangers onesie. 

       The first week with the baby went by rather smoothly. She was sleeping  _ decently _ and was obviously a good eater, being the daughter of Wynonna Earp. But the brunette’s sass had definitely been passed down in the gene line, for she certainly knew how to get her way.

       Nicole and Waverly had been over to see her every day so far, even staying over two of the nights, offering their help with whatever needed to be done. And Waverly was quickly reassured that Alice did, in fact, like her.

 

       The redhead was sprawled out on the couch, bored off her ass as she scrolled through Netflix for the 1935th time. She had a day off and had planned on spending it in bed all day with Waverly, for she also was off, but she had gotten a call from Shorty within 10 minutes of said activities because one of the waiters was taking off for a vacation to Rio and he needed the shift covered. 

       Thus, she was home alone all day. 

       That was until she heard the knock on the door. She cocked an eyebrow as she went to the door, pulling her baggy sweatpants over her hips so they weren’t sagging before opening it. 

       “Hiya, Haught Sauce!” Wynonna smiled. 

       “Hi . . .?” She answered slowly, tracing her eyes over all of the things in her arms. 

       “So. There’s a perverted Revenant running around and Jeremy thinks he’s got him cornered. Doc’s at Black Badge and Gus is at Shorty’s, so you, Ma’am, are emergency babysitter numero tres!” She stuck out her right arm that was holding a lunch box that she carried her bottles of breast milk in. Nicole took it and grabbed the handle of Alice’s car seat that was resting in the crook of her elbow. Her left held the diaper bag, so she took it and threw the strap over her shoulder. “I fed her before I left, so she should be good for the next hour or so.” She gave her a double thumbs-up before turning away and jogging down to her truck. “Thanks, Haught Shot! Love ya!” And with that, she jumped into the truck and floored it down the road. 

       Nicole stood at the still-opened door for a second, looking down at the baby fast asleep in her car seat and thinking about how that whole interaction had happened in less than a minute and now she was going to be looking after a newborn by herself for the next who knows how long. 

       She finally let out a sigh as she turned and closed the door with her foot, walking off to the kitchen. She set the carrier on the counter and shoved the five bottles of milk in the fridge before walking back into the living room and setting the diaper bag down on the floor, plopping herself in the recliner, pulling the blanket that was draped over her off and gently removing her from the seat. She shook her head at the sleeper she had on, the front reading, _ I’m not milk drunk, I’m tit faced _ .

       After digging through the diaper bag, she found a black swaddle blanket with white sheep on it. She laid it flat on the coffee table and laid her down on it, wrapping her up in it snugly before grabbing the remote and popping the feet out on the recliner and resting her in her arm, starting her 1936th scroll through. “Looks like it’s just me and you, Kid.” 

 

**.  . .**

 

       Much like Wynonna had predicted, about an hour later, she felt her start to stir before hearing her let out a tiny whine. She looked down at her as she began to bounce her slightly and Alice’s little brows furrowed tightly as she let out a loud wail. Nicole sat up in her chair with a sigh, unwrapping her from the swaddle and setting her on her legs, letting her stretch out her little limbs for a second before the crying continued. “ _ Somebody’s _ hungry,” Nicole mumbled, pushing herself up and wandering into the kitchen. 

       She grabbed a bottle out of the fridge and walked over to the sink, turning on the hot water. “I hear you,” she assured, sticking her finger under the tap and adjusting it until it was hot enough. She held the bottle under it for a minute or so, letting it get to a desirable temperature before walking back to the living room and propping her up more on her arm. She poked her lip with the nipple until she stopped screaming and took the bottle. 

       The redhead relaxed as Alice sucked away, leaning back again. She looked away from the TV, though, after feeling a weight crawl onto her legs. Her eyes widened down at Calamity as she sat down and stuck her head out, taking in the scent of  _ baby _ . She slowly stood with an intrigued look on her face and began to creep up her legs, stopping once again once she got to her knees. “Calamity, you better be nice,” Nicole warned. 

       The cat seemed to ignore that she had even spoken as she took a few more steps closer, sitting on her thighs right next to Alice. She stuck her nose out again, taking a whiff of her bent-out knee, pulling back when her slightly waving arm bumped her in the head. She then, of course, sniffed at her hand. Alice’s fist hit the top of her head again, but this time it stopped wiggling, opening a little as she touched her fur. Calamity Jane didn’t seem to mind her experiment and ended up laying down next to her after a couple of seconds. 

 

**Earp: Hows it goin?**

**Haught N Bothered: *Picture of her lap with Calamity and Alice laying together***

**Earp: Ur fucking cat is bigger than my baby**

**Haught N Bothered: Ikr**

**Haught N Bothered: U catch Pervy yet?**

**Earp: No. Chetri decided to leave out the part about how he’s in the middle of a forest**

**Haught N Bothered: Am I supposed to be surprised or…**

**Haught N Bothered: Wait how do u have service in the woods**

**Earp: See the thing about having a baby is that everyone treats you like your a fragile snowflake afterward**

**Earp: So I get to wait in Dolls’ nice warm SUV while him and Doc trample through the snow**

**Haught N Bothered: You’re***

**Earp: Calm down Waverly**

**Haught N Bothered: I’m just sayin**

**Earp: Saying***

**Haught N Bothered: 🖕**

**Earp: This is y I don't talk to u**

**Haught N Bothered: U realize I’m feeding ur baby ur tit milk rn right?**

**Earp: True true**

**Earp: Hey, after her next nap is tummy time**

**Haught N Bothered: Mk**

**Earp: Mk, ttyl, don’t kill my kid**

**Haught N Bothered: Mk, I’ll try my best**

 

       After several minutes, Alice pulled back from the bottle, wiggling her legs a bit to make sure Nicole realized she was done. "All done, Kiddo?" She poked her lip again, but she turned her head away, so she knew she was finished. "You  _ was  _ hungry," she chuckled after she checked how much she drank as she popped a towel over her shoulder and set her on it, burping her as she walked to the kitchen and set the bottle back in the fridge. "Throw up on me,  _ I dare you _ ." 

       Thankfully, she did not. 

       She sat them back in the recliner and curled her knees up, laying Alice on her legs. "Aunt Wavey'll be home in a few hours!" She smiled as she pedaled her tiny legs. Her bright blue eyes blinked up at her as she ran her fingers up the soft texture of her outfit, letting her grip onto her pointer fingers. She wiggled them a bit on her stomach, getting a lopsided smile out of the newborn. “Was dat a  _ smile _ ?” Nicole giggled, stroking her hand down the bit of brown hair on the top of her head. “I think it was.” 

       She multitasked watching Netflix and playing with her for a good twenty minutes. That was, until she started to get a little fussy. She lifted her from her legs into her arms. “What?” She questioned softly as she continued to let out little whines. “Is your diaper dirty?” She grabbed the towel she had been using to wipe her drool and stretched it out on the coffee table as she tugged the diaper bag closer. She sat on her knees in front of the table as she unsnapped her sleeper, seeing that the yellow stripe on the front of the diaper was blue, indicating she needed a change. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her head as she tugged her legs out and grabbed the wipes and a clean diaper out of the bag. 

       Alice continued to cry throughout the whole changing despite Nicole’s attempts to calm her down. She rolled the used one up, quickly beginning to button her back up. “It’s cold, I know, I’m sorry.” She lifted her back into her arms and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a plastic shopping bag out of the cabinet and tossing it in there, knowing damn well she was going to give it to Wynonna when she came to pick her up. She tied it and set it by the trash can.

       “What’s wrong, Ali?” She asked with a furrowed brow as she continued to cry just as much as she had been five minutes ago. “I just fed you two seconds ago, there’s no way you’re hungry.” Even with her doubts, she continued to grab the bottle out of her fridge, warming just the nipple part before offering it to her. She rolled her head towards her chest with a wail, pushing at her arm slightly. “Didn’t think so.” 

       She walked back in the living room and grabbed the swaddle blanket, but right as she began to wrap her in it, her screams got louder. She looked down at her with a frown. “I don’t know what you want, Honey,” she mumbled as she unsnapped her outfit again, testing to see if she was too hot. She lifted her out of it, pushing her head sideways against her shoulder as she began to pace the room, rubbing her hand gently up and down her bare back as she cooed softly to her. 

       And even a couple minutes of that didn’t do anything. 

       She brought her out in front of her with a frown, looking at her scrunched up face. “Alice,” she complained. “I’ve tried everything!” She suddenly looked up at the wall in front of her, blinking slowly. “If this is what you want, I swear, Girl.” She set her gently on the seat of the recliner before pulling her shirt off and picking her up as she sat down. She reclined the seat all the way back before setting her on her chest, head turned away from the base of her neck to make sure she was getting enough air. 

       And lo and behold, Alice Michelle stopped fussing. 

       “You just wanted to suck all my body heat up, huh, you little cuddle monster?” The redhead asked as she tugged the blue blanket that had gotten stuffed down the side of it out, pulling it over both of them. She pushed a few kisses into the side of her head as the baby grabbed onto her thumb. She had never realized how relaxing it was to have a warm little furnace lay on you. 

 

**.  . .**

 

       Waverly had texted Nicole, telling her that she was bringing some take out home for dinner, but she never got a response. She shrugged it off, figuring she was busy or something. But when she walked in the front door and saw the sleeping duo, she almost cried out of adorableness. 

       She set the bag of food on the counter and quietly walked back over, pulling her phone out and snapping a picture of them before taking another moment to admire them. Nicole’s hand was gently resting on her back over the blanket and her little hand was peeking out of the top, still holding onto the thumb of Nicole’s other hand. She leaned down and pressed a soft kiss into the sides of each of their heads before sitting on the couch and immediately gushing to her sister after sending her the picture. 

       10 minutes later, she looked up at the sound of a few grunts, seeing the newborn stretching out her limbs, eyes slowly blinking open. She got up and was going to take her, but her movements woke the Sheriff. She let out a noise similar to Alice’s as she stretched her arms over her head, reaching down and lifting the baby up, holding her above her face with a sleepy smile. 

       “Did you two have a good nap?” Waverly giggled. 

       Nicole quickly looked over at her, sitting up with a smile and laying her down on her legs. “Yea,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. “When’d you get home?” She pulled her phone out of her pocket, seeing that three hours had passed since she had last been up. 

       “Not that long ago,” she said as Nicole scooted over, letting her sit down next to her. She lifted up Alice with a big smile, peppering kisses all over her face. “Hi, You!” The baby gave her one of those kinda-sorta smiles as she propped her up on her knees. “Look at you,” she cooed, stroking her thumbs on her cheeks. 

       “She’s done that a few times now,” Nicole informed as she ran her fingers across her stomach. Waverly looked towards her with raised eyebrows and she gave her a soft, dimpled smile, leaning into a kiss. “How was work?” 

       “Slow,” she nodded. “But good slow.”

       The redhead smirked a little as she pushed up on her foot, feeling her giving a little effort to push it back. “That’s good.”

       Waverly smiled, running her finger along the shell of her little ear. “I brought dinner home.”

       Nicole’s eyes went wide. “ _ Dinner _ .” 

       The brunette laughed, sitting up and grabbing the sleeper off the table, going to put it back on her. But the baby let out a whine, pulling her arms in. “No?” 

       “She’s probably a little hot,” Nicole mumbled, reaching around her and grabbing the diaper bag. She sorted through it for a second before finding a onesie, setting the bag down and unrolling it. “Jesus fucking Christ,” she muttered, shaking her head at it. “I don’t know what’s worse,  _ tit faced _ or  _ Straight Outta Mommy _ .”

       Waverly laughed as she slipped it on her as an alternative, and she accepted it. They stood and made their way into the kitchen. “It makes you a little warm layin’ on Red Haught, don’t it? Yea, I know.” 

       Nicole tipped her head at her as she began to pull the Chinese boxes out of the bag. “We’re gonna be gettin’ a _ whole lotta warm  _ after Wynonna picks her up,” she said with a wiggle of her eyebrows. Waverly turned her head towards her with a smirk as she grabbed Alice’s bottle out of the fridge and held it under the tap. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only an Earp would be born on chapter 69


	70. If I Can be Horny and a Responsible Adult, You Can Keep it in Your Pants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This may not be the last chapter's smut.
> 
> But it could possibly be a week later's smut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oo doggie

       Waverly’s feet swayed slightly as she laid on the ground on her stomach, fingers drumming together as she looked up at Nicole. “The degree to which teachers feel that their own efforts determine the success of their students?” 

       She paused her moving fingers as she dug the vocabulary word out of the folder in her brain. “Teacher efficacy.” 

       “Mhm.” She tapped her phone on the top of the doorframe with the tip of her nose when she pulled herself up on the pull-up bar. “The difference between what a child can do on his own and what can be accomplished with some assistance?” 

       “Psh, zone of proximal development.” 

       “Good.” She pulled herself up again to tap to the next one. “Authoritative parenting?” 

       “Uhh . . . Established limits with explained reasonings.” 

       “Annd?” 

       “Annnnd . . - Oh! Affectionate towards child.” 

       “Yep. What about authoritarian?” 

       “Constant demands without taking the child’s feelings into consideration,” she answered, rolling onto her back. 

       “And permissive?” 

       “Let’s kid do what they want with little boundaries and inconsistent affection.” 

       “Last one, neglecting?” 

       “No rules and doesn’t care about kid.” 

       Nicole dropped down from the pull-up bar, reaching up to grab the phone and shaking her arms out, wiping her forehead as she handed it to her. “You’re gonna crush it, Waves,” she assured with a dimpled smile. 

       Waverly beamed, pushing her hand into her bare stomach as she stood up on her toes to press a kiss to her lips. “Thanks, Baby.” 

       She stared as the brunette walked past her to head downstairs in those _tight_ grey yoga pants and a crop top hoodie. She was just lounging around in it, but Nicole had spent her morning trying to contain herself. 

       But after watching her go  _ down _ the stairs, she was done for. 

       She let out a low growl as she followed her down and grabbed her waist as she was going to head for the couch, turning her and pulling her into her front. She forcefully gripped her ass with her right hand and her left came up to cup her neck as she smashed their lips together. 

       Waverly let out a startled whimper into her mouth, resting her hands on her shoulders as she was immediately hoisted up when Nicole leaned into the back of the couch. 

       Waverly pulled back for air, staring into her darkened eyes. ". . . You ok there?" 

       "Nope," she confirmed, immediately catching her lips and standing them up, squeezing her fingers back into her ass as she walked them towards the bedroom. 

       "Nic," she breathed when she was dropped onto the bed. The redhead leaned her body into her, resting on her elbows. "I have to go take that test." 

       "That's unfortunate for you, I guess," she sighed, moving her mouth down her jaw. 

       "Babe, seriously." She pushed her back despite her labored breathing and blown pupils. "It has to be turned in by 10." 

       "It's 8, Love," she reminded. 

       "I have to be at  _ work  _ at 10, too." 

       Nicole slid down her body, pushing the bottom of her hoodie up slightly as she scraped her teeth up her stomach. "You should have thought about that  _ before  _ you made me horny," she huffed. 

       The brunette let out a breathy moan, pushing her finger through her sweat-dampened red locks as her warm tongue danced along her abs. "I did not  _ make  _ you horny," she retorted. "If anything,  _ I'm  _ the horny one. I just watched you do, like,  _ 50  _ pull-ups with  _ no  _ shirt on!" 

       She tugged the hoodie off her body, dropping her hand to her sports bra-covered breast. "Darlin', have you  _ seen  _ your ass in those pants?! You're killin' a girl here!" 

       "Yes, I have. Why do you think I bought them?" 

       “To tease me?!” 

       “No! They make my ass look good!”

       Nicole rolled her eyes as she met her lips once again, pushing her tongue into her mouth. The brunette rolled them and put her knees on either side of her legs, grabbing her chin as she pressed a chaste kiss to her mouth. “If  _ I  _ can be horny  _ and  _ a responsible adult,  _ you  _ can keep it in your pants.”

       The redhead glared up at her as she crawled off the bed with an innocent smile, walking out of the room. “ _ Keep it in my pants, huh _ ?” She mumbled to herself with a smirk. 

       Waverly laid down on her stomach on the couch, setting her laptop on the cushion in front of her. Nicole Haught was her strongest addiction, so the hardest thing for her to do was to tell her no, especially considering that her tongue had been all up in her mouth at the time. She let out a sigh, shifting her hips uncomfortably as she opened up the application and put her headphones on her head. 

       She felt Nicole sit down next to her feet after a couple of minutes, but she didn’t pay her a glance, figuring that she was just on her phone or whatever, resting her hand on her ankle. 

       She did turn her head, though, after feeling her squeezing her hand into it a few minutes later. She thought she was just trying to get her attention and she hadn’t heard her over the sound of her music. 

       But she was wrong. 

       Nicole’s head was tipped back, eyes closed and lips parted as she jerked herself off. Yes,  _ jerked _ herself off. As in, her shorts were at her knees and the dildo poked through the hole in the front of her briefs, harness hiding underneath them. 

       Waverly’s eyes bulged out of their sockets, mouth dropping open desert dry as her eyes flicked from her pumping hand and her face. Nicole must have felt the way her body shifted on the couch when she turned to look, for her eyes opened slightly and she looked towards her, pulling her bottom lip under her front teeth to hide a devilish smirk. 

       It took a second, but Waverly finally managed to pull her eyes away. She shook her head at her, turning her head back towards her computer with a deep sigh. All she had to do was finish this _godforsaken test_ and  _ then  _ she’d let her rearrange all of her organs. And not that she  _ didn’t  _ want to jump right on her lap here and now, cause she did. She really did. But she wasn’t going to let a good bone make her fail a test. 

       She felt the couch shift after a second and paused, not knowing what she was doing. But then she felt something brush against her lower back and hot breath on the back of her neck. She turned her head, throwing the girl hovering over her shoulder a warning glare. Nicole smirked wider, slowly brushing her hair to the other side as she dropped slow kisses from the corner of her jaw, down her neck. She continued down her back, nipping at her shoulder blade that was jutted out. The brunette had to grip her teeth to the sides of her cheek to keep from making any noises. 

       Nicole was definitely not satisfied, like Waverly had hoped, but she continued on anyway. She scooted down the couch, nudging part of her pants down to suck on the side of her hip. And the smaller girl bucked forward unintentionally. 

       The redhead smirked widely as she moved back up towards her face, resting her hips on her butt so she knew she felt it. She heard her audibly swallow as she pushed the earphone away from her ear. "So you  _ do  _ like that, huh?" She husked, pushing more weight into her. 

       "Fuck you, Nicole." She pulled the headphones back to their original position.

       She chuckled, sucking and nipping back down her body. She sat up and tugged her shorts all the way off, tossing them in the direction of the recliner. She licked her lips as she slid her hands up the backs of Waverly's thighs, continuing onto the curve of her ass with a squeeze. She brought one of her hands down with a hard smack and she heard the brunette let out a whimper. Her grin grew as she hooked her fingers around the hem of the yoga pants and bent forward to press a kiss to the middle of her lower back as she lifted her hips up slightly to tug them down her body, pulling the underwear down with it. 

       Nicole moved back up her body once she had tossed them away, seeing that she was typing away as if nothing was happening. She nudged the headphones away from her ear again, gently kissing the shell of her ear. “Is this ok, Love?” She whispered.

       “I don’t like you.” 

       That wasn’t a no and the Sheriff  _ knew  _ she didn’t mean it as a no, so she nipped at her earlobe as she pushed her hand into her hair, jerking her head back. “Sit up,” she ordered in a growl. 

       The brunette did so with a huff of complaint, taking her headphones all the way off. “ _ What _ ?” 

       She released her hair, massaging her fingers into her scalp. “ _ You’re gonna sit on my face _ ,” she rasped, slipping her hand around her front and roughly cupping her centre. 

       “ _ Fuck _ ,” Waverly swallowed as her body went limp, leaning back into her.

       Nicole grinned, reaching forward in front of her and grabbing the laptop. She pushed her forward a bit and turned around before laying on her back and propping it up on her stomach. “C’mere.” 

       Waverly slowly complied. She turned around on her knees and eased herself down, only hovering over her. Nicole, though, was not as worried about her weight on her face because she reached up and grabbed her hips, pulling her straight down. The brunette let out a high-pitched moan, dropping forward and bracing herself against her sides when she felt her tongue immediately dart into her entrance. She sat back up, letting out a slow exhale as she tipped the screen of her laptop up and read the next question.

       As she was typing after a few minutes, she dropped her head in between her shoulders with a moan when Nicole moved from her entrance to her swollen bud that had been twitching against the air for the past minute. “ _ Shit _ ,” she breathed out, eyes rolling back in her head as the redhead wrapped her lips around it and began to suck, tongue still swirling around the tip. “ _ Oh my God _ , you’re gonna make me cum like that.” She moved her hands back to her sides, gripping her nails into them as her vision clouded slightly before a flash of white popped in front of her eyes with a sharp cry.

       Waverly stopped twitching above her after a few seconds, lifting her head with a shaky curse. Nicole tapped her thigh and she pushed the laptop, falling forward, her face landing right next to her crotch. She gripped her hand around it, pushing it down and rolling it around slightly.

       The redhead wiped her face off on the back of her arm with a groan, grabbing onto her legs and turning her, letting her knees hit the ground. She sat up and grabbed her chin, bending down so she could reach her lips and let her taste herself on her. She pulled back after a second, but kept her face near her’s, staring into her eyes. “Promise?” She asked, barely above a whisper. 

       The smaller girl’s eyes went wide, knowing that was what either one of them asked when they were going to do something new that could hurt/make the other uncomfortable. And the promise was to immediately let them know to stop whatever it may be. Waverly swallowed with a nod. “Promise.” 

       It was crazy how the redhead could switch from her sweet, caring state right back to the one with that wolfish grin. She grabbed her by the shoulders and got her to turn around so her back was against the couch and moved in front of her. She let out a heavy exhale as she ran her hand up and down the shaft of the strap for a few seconds, smirking downwards when Waverly opened her mouth. Nicole set it in her mouth and pushed her hand through her hair, twirling it back and using it to grip onto the back of her head as the brunette used her hand to smear some spit up and down it. She looked up and met eyes with Nicole, finally taking her in her mouth, all the way to the hilt in true Waverly Earp fashion. Though, she hadn't expected the redhead to keep her head in place. She looked back up at the redhead's grin. "Let's test out that gag reflex, shall we?" 

       Or rather, lack there of. 

       Waverly had only actually "gagged" because of something once in her life. And it was because while she was at cheer practice during her Sophomore year, someone had put bloody tampons in her cheer bag because, ya know, she was an Earp. But other than that, never. She could shove her whole hand down her throat with no problem if she wanted to. 

       The Sheriff let her pull back and she replaced her mouth with her hand once again, her own smirk dusting her features now. "You're not gonna make me gag, Babe. I'm sorry to tell ya." 

       "You wanna bet?" 

       Her eyes darkened. "You realize no one has  _ ever  _ made me gag trying to do that, right?" 

       "And by  _ no one _ , you mean Champ? With his whole 2 inch dick?" 

       She scrunched her face up. "Ok, first of all, I've slept with more guys than just  _ Champ _ .-" 

       Nicole's eyes widened, not just because she had cut her off by pushing her hips all the way forward until her nose was touching her, but because she had figured  _ he  _ was her first. She thought she was sweet little 16-year-old Waverly when they had gotten together. But apparently not. She rolled her hips a little before pulling back. “Wait a minute, how many people  _ have  _ you slept with?” 

       “Slept with? Or blown?” 

       “Both?” 

       “I’ve  _ slept  _ with 4 people, including you. But I’ve blown . . .” She winced a little as she looked up at her. “7 guys . . .?” 

       Nicole pushed her hips forward again, looking down at her with wide eyes. She pulled back as she spoke, “When the hell did you do that?!” 

       “First time was when I was 14,” she mumbled. “My “boyfriend” in 8th grade in an empty bathroom after a basketball game.” 

       The redhead let out a surprised laugh. “Waverly!” 

       “I was congratulating him cause they won!” She defended. “When’d  _ you  _ touch a girl for the first time, huh?” 

       She pursed her lips, gripping her fingers tighter into her hair as she began to pump into her mouth, pushing her head forward to meet her rhythm. “13,  _ but _ it was also 8th grade, you just have an early birthday.” 

       She pulled back and the brunette took in a breath, wiping the strings of spit that were still attached to her mouth onto it. “What did Baby Gay Nicole do to her?” She asked with a smirk. 

       She sucked in a breath, tipping her head as she looked up at the wall in front of her. “I did  _ a lot _ of things to her . . . on many occasions all the way up until our Senior year.” 

       “How many people _have_ _ you  _ slept with?” She questioned. 

       She pursed her lips again, jerking back into her mouth, moving her other hand up to the side of her head. Waverly placed her hands on her outer thighs as the tip of the dildo bumped the back of her throat on occasion, looking up to meet the Sheriff’s eyes. She let out a moan at that, eyes rolling back as she sped it up for a few seconds before removing it, collecting the spit around her lips with the tip. “ _ Fuck _ , how do you do that?” 

       “I literally have no clue,” she shrugged with a laugh. She gripped onto the shaft, pushing it back with pressure before pumping her hand. Nicole bit her lip, letting her hair go before retwisting it back up. “Now tell me,” she coaxed, applying even more pressure to the base. 

       “Too many.” 

       “How many is  _ too many _ ?” 

       “Too many.” 

       She raised her eyebrows at her as she moved her left hand, reaching up and pushing the bottom of the harness down so the base was completely flush against her, replacing her hand with her mouth as she used both to hold it in place. She groaned, gripping at her wrist, but Waverly just sped it up, knowing it was so much pleasure that it was  _ too much _ . “ _ Shit _ , Wave, ok, 32!” She sputtered out. 

       She dropped her hands and pulled off, looking up at her with wide eyes. “ _3_ _ 2 _ ?!” 

       “16 are  _ just _ from college, ok?” She defended, face getting red. 

       “Jesus Christ, Nicole!” She laughed. “You’ve got game!” 

       “I know right,” she winked. 

       “It’s the dimples.” 

       “It’s definitely the dimples,” she agreed with a sigh. “Ok. I don’t wanna hear anymore about Champ and his tiny dick-” 

       “He actually  _ wasn’t  _ tin-”

       Nicole quickly pushed into her mouth, throwing her a warning look from above when her eyes snapped up to meet her’s. “Anyway.  _ If _ I can make you gag, I get to drill you until you finish that test. And if I  _ can’t _ ?” 

       She released her and the brunette took a second to think, reaching behind her and cupping her ass as she traced her tongue from the bottom of the base to the tip. A smirk quickly popped onto her face as Nicole watched a thought flash through her eyes. “If you can’t, which you  _ won’t _ , you have to make me cum with this on.” 

       She blinked at her. “Do you know how many times I’ve done that?” 

       “No, no, no.  _ You’re  _ not wearing it,” she corrected. 

       “W-” It finally clicked and her face paled slightly. “ _ Oh _ .” 

       “Oh is right,” she grinned, flashes of Nicole sucking her off lingering in the back of her mind. 

       “Babe,” she complained. Waverly already knew that Nicole never wanted anything besides her fingers and the occasional tongue to go into her. It was just a personal preference. But she had never said no to  _ other  _ options. “I can’t even  _ brush my tongue _ without gagging, how do you expect me to get  _ this  _ in my mouth?” She asked, wiggling it around for dramatic effect. 

       Jeez, you really are a lesbian,” Waverly mumbled. Nicole threw her a look as she forced her to the hilt, thrusting into her mouth a few times. She pulled back, rolling her bottom lip down. “Just squeeze your left thumb,” the smaller girl smiled with a wink.

       Nicole rolled her eyes at the old high school trick, drawing the tip down the bridge of her nose before popping it back in her mouth. She let her work her own magic for a minute because  _ seriously _ . That girl’s mouth  _ was  _ magic. But once she felt herself working towards the edge, she slid both of her hands into her hair on either sides, pulling her head forward slowly, rocking upward once and watching her face. But it barely seemed to phase her. She sighed as she began to pump into her, feeling tingles as she ran her fingers up and down her legs. Her brow furrowed as she sped it up, teeth bearing as she began to teeter at the edge. “ _ Fuck _ ,” she hissed, locking her eyes closed as her core tightened all the way, hands tipping her head back slightly.

       It was only a few seconds until she snapped, jerking into her at a fast, but careful rate as she let out a groan, eyes rolling back, her head going with them.

       But then Waverly’s fingers gripped her thighs and she  _ heard it _ .

       She quickly pulled out, finishing herself off as she eased off her high. She slowed her hand pumps, opening her eyes at the somewhat-shocked brunette. She dropped down to her butt in front of her with an exhale, cupping the bottom of her chin. “You ok, Love?” She questioned with soft eyes despite her still labored breathing. 

       She blinked at her for a second, a hint of anger on her face. “How come it happens the one time I  _ bet on it _ ?!” She groaned, throwing her head back on the couch cushion. 

       Nicole laughed a little, relief coming off her chest. “Because I’m just that good,” she smirked. 

       She raised her head with a look. “No, it’s cause I was so busy watching you get off that I forgot to breathe.” 

       "And whose fault is that?” 

       She shook her head with pursed lips, pulling herself back onto the couch and dropping onto her stomach, wiggling her finger on the touchpad of her laptop so it woke up. Nicole stood and pulled her briefs off, knowing they were soaked through. She dropped to a squat beside her face, tipping her head into a kiss. She bit onto her bottom lip before pulling away. “How many more questions you got?” She asked, her hot breath on her lips doing a number on her. 

       She looked towards her screen with her mouth slightly opened, taking a second to scroll to the bottom. “21.” 

       Nicole grinned as she heard her swallow. “We might be here for a bit.” She stood up and moved to the other end of the couch, kneeling onto it. She stuck her fingers under her hips and pulled her up onto her knees, sliding her hand down her back to keep her bent forward. She drew a smack across her ass, ghosting her other hand’s fingers up her folds. “Damn, Baby, I thought I was gonna have to warm you up, but I guess not.” The redhead eased her middle finger into her dripping centre. 

       “It’s not like you  _ weren’t  _ fucking my face five seconds ago,” she reminded, a shudder creeping up her spine. 

       “Well, there’s more where that came from.” She slipped another finger in before drawing them both out and rolling over her bud a few times before tracing them down her length and rubbing her wetness all over the shaft. She raised it towards her entrance and gathered a little more on the tip before pushing forward, slowly stretching her until her hips were touching her. She heard the brunette mutter a curse and grip her left hand around the side of the computer as the other one clicked away. 

       She gave her a moment to get used to it before she began to rock her hips, the sound of the impact getting louder and louder by the minute until there was a layer of sweat covering the Sheriff’s body and Waverly had her head pushed sideways against the cushion, gripping onto the side of it for dear life. “ _ Fuck,- Nic-ole, oh my- God _ !” She was sure her ass would be partially bruised with the force she was using to smack it. Nicole slipped one of her hands around her thigh, fingering her clit as she squeezed her other hand into her waist. The younger girl let out a loud moan and Nicole saw the muscles in her back tighten as she clamped down on the toy. “ _ Shit _ , _ I’m coming _ !” Nicole pummeled into her with more force, the ringing in her ears getting louder before becoming deafening as she let out a groan when the arousal spilled down her leg. 

       Fucking hell,” she breathed out, slowing her hips to snail-paced pumps, pushing both hands through her hair and lifting the parts that were sticking to the back of her neck up for a few seconds. She brought them back down and ran her thumbs soothingly on her hips as she squinted towards the screen, seeing that she had been on question 19 when they started and was now on 31. She then turned her head, looking up at the clock on the wall. It was already 9:20. She let out a sigh as she gently pulled out. 

       Waverly turned her head around to look at her. “What . . .?” She questioned, figuring she was gonna get her to switch positions or something. But then she noticed she was untightening the straps of the harness and standing up to wiggle it off. And that just made her more confused. 

       The Sheriff sat back down on the couch, leaning her back into the arm. “C’mere,” she said with a smile. Waverly sat up and turned around to face her, furrowing her brow in question. Nicole huffed as she reached out and grabbed her waist, turning her around and pulling her in between her legs. “Get that,” she said, pointing at the computer. The brunette scooted it towards her before setting it on her lap and leaning all the way back into her. Nicole wrapped her arms around her middle with a smile, pushing a gentle kiss into her shoulder. 

       “I thought the bet was you fucking the shit out of me until I was  _ finished _ ?”

       “It  _ was _ . But I wanna make sure you get done,” she mumbled. “And I wanna hold you.”

       Waverly looked towards her with a happy pout at how quiet she said that last part, cupping her chin and turning her head slightly as she leaned into a soft kiss. She pulled back after a few seconds and looked back down at the screen, running her left thumb on the side of her thigh with a sigh. “You need to be rough with me more often.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: The tampon thing happened to one of my friends last year, except it was during track  
> They never found out who did it
> 
> Also, headcanon that Waverly hoed around a little during Freshman and Sophomore year because why else would've Champ dated her
> 
> Now the real question is how many people has Wynonna slept with?


	71. Did You Deflower My Couch?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's April Fools Day in Purgatory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What could possibly be in store? 
> 
> Guys, I'm so excited! It's day light's savings time now, so I get an hour more to sleep in tomorrow! Maybe I won't fall asleep in class for once!

       Nicole brushed some of the dirt off of her uniform as she strolled into Shorty’s, tracing her eyes around for Waverly. She spotted her on the other side of the bar, facing away from her as she chatted with some patrons. She walked up to the opposite end with a smirk as she looked down at the bowl of peanuts sitting there. She grabbed one and lined up her shot, flinging it at the back of her head. 

       “Yea, I haven’t been up there in a whi-” Waverly placed her hand on the back of her head after feeling something hit it, looking down at the ground and seeing the peanut. She looked up with squinted eyes, but she rolled them when she saw Nicole standing there like a dumbass, picking at her nails in attempt to not look suspicious. She picked it up off the ground and tossed it back at her, nailing her in the forehead. 

       The redhead raised her head with a smirk when she walked over to her with her arms crossed, stopping in front of her. “Asshole,” she greeted. 

       Nicole’s eyes widened. “Where’d your voice go, Babe,” she laughed after hearing it’s hoarseness. 

       She leaned forward onto the counter, wiggling her eyebrows with a small smirk. “I’m not sure.” 

       The redhead chuckled and she walked around to her side. She sat down on the stool and turned around, resting her hands on her hips when she stepped in between her knees to kiss her. Waverly pulled back with a smile, looking down at her dirty clothes. “What happened to you?” 

       Nicole ran her finger down the end of her braid that was resting on her shoulder. “Some kids let Mr. Young’s cows out as an “April Fools prank” or whatever.”

       “ _ Ah _ ,” she nodded, brushing some more of the dirt off of her front. 

       “D’you eat any dinner yet?”

       “No, I was just about to go on break now.”

       “Well, I guess you’re stuck eating here with me then,” she smiled as she pressed another kiss to her lips. The brunette giggled, pushing her finger under her utility belt. 

       Nicole pulled back, though, feeling something hit her in the back of the head. She turned, seeing Gus giving them a pointed look from the other side of the bar as she popped a few peanuts in her mouth. “Not by the counter, Sheriff.” 

       She shot her a toothy smile as she pushed off the stool, taking the brunette’s hand as she led her to a booth before quickly walking off to put their orders in, returning with sodas for both of them. “I would have taken a beer,” Nicole mumbled, blowing the paper from her straw at her. 

       “You’re still on duty,” Waverly reminded, nudging her foot with her own. 

       “Yea, well I’ve had a long day.” She pulled up on her belt buckle, hiding a smirk. “And I’m pretty sore, ya know?” 

       “ _ You’re  _ sore? That’s funny considering  _ I’m  _ the one walking with a limp.” 

       Nicole pouted her lip as she took a drink. “You don’t seem too upset about that.” 

       “Cause I’m not,” she winked. 

       “Mm, didn’t think so.” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       After they finished eating, Nicole headed back to the station to finish up the paperwork for the 9 separate arrests of 14 different people from today. April Fools Day was definitely her  _ least  _ favorite holiday because there was always a huge crime spike, not to mention all the false calls they had to respond to. 

       She pulled her earbud out of her ear and looked up at the figure in her doorway, a big smile pushing onto her face. Wynonna walked in and Nicole stood up, walking around her desk. “Sup, Earp.” The brunette set the carrier on a chair and Nicole unbuckled the two week old from it, pulling her out and peppering a bunch of kisses to her face. “Hi, Ali!” 

       “Someone doesn’t wanna go to sleep,” Wynonna mumbled.

       Nicole looked up at her as she leaned back onto her desk, seeing the heavy bags under her eyes. “You know we’ll come over for a night any time, right?”

       She slumped down in the open chair. “I know. I want us to be able to handle her, though.” 

       The redhead tipped her head at her. “You’re allowed to ask for help, Wy. That doesn’t make you any less of a mother.” Wynonna just shrugged. “We’ll come over tonight, alright?” 

       She looked up at her with a clenched jaw before giving in. “Fine.” 

       Nicole gave her a smile, looking back down at the baby in her arms. “We’re havin’ a sleepover!” Alice’s mouth came open with a little squeal and she pressed another kiss to her forehead. 

       “Oh!” Wynonna reached into the diaper bag at her feet and pulled out a baggie with some brownie squares in it. “Gus made brownies last night and told me to bring you some.” She offered up the bag and Nicole took it. 

       “Yesss,” she breathed, handing Alice over to her. “This is  _ exactly _ what I needed today.” She pulled one out and shoved half of it into her mouth with a smile. “Want one?” She said through a mouthful. 

       Wynonna shook her head as she bounced Alice on her knees. “I’m on a diet, remember?” 

       Nicole shrugged with a sigh. “Suit yourself.” She walked around and sat back behind her desk, popping the last part in her mouth. 

 

       Wynonna stuck around for about 30 minutes, bullshitting with Nicole about the normal shit they bullshitted about. 

       “You really don’t know if you’re an alien, though,” Wynonna pointed out. 

       “Dude, it’s a gene mutation or some shit,” the Sheriff defended. “I’m not an alien.” 

       “That’s probably why Mars is read. It’s full of you gingers.” 

       “Shut up, no it’s not,” she grumbled, rolling her eyes. 

       “You’re denying it cause you know it’s true,” she pushed, hiding a smirk. 

       “I’m denying it because I know I’m not a  _ goddamn alien _ .”

       “Who is your leader? Ed Sheeran? It’s probably Ed Sheeran.” 

       Nicole threw her a glare, shaking her head. “Wynonna, what the fuck is wrong- . . .  _ with you _ .” She sat back in her chair, squishing her eyes together a few times. 

       “What?” Wynonna questioned, seeing how her demeanor had switched. 

       She dropped her elbows to her knees, rubbing her face. “I feel weird,” she mumbled. 

       “What d’you mean?” 

       “I dunno.” She slouched back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling. “It’s almost like I-” She slowly raised her head, widening her eyes at the brunette. “ _ Wynonna _ .”

       “What?” She repeated with a laugh, biting the inside of her cheek. 

       “I swear to God if you just made me eat edibles.” 

       She pulled her lips into her mouth as she bounced her daughter. “I did no such thing.” 

       Nicole shot out of her chair, placing her hand on her forehead. “ _ WYNONNA _ !”

       She looked up at her with an evil grin. “I felt the need to spice up your April Fools Day.”

       She continued to blink at her with wide eyes. “You are so lucky you are holding her because I would  _ so  _ be beating the  _ shit _ out of you!” She snapped. “I’m  _ on duty _ !” 

       She continued to cackle to herself, standing up and looking at the baggie on her desk, seeing that she had eaten both of them. “Ooh shit, just you wait. Doc ate  _ one _ last night and after an hour he was sky high.” 

       Her eyes shot open impossibly wider. “How much is in them?!” 

       “30 milligrams each, I think it said,” she snorted. 

       “ _ EARP _ !” She pushed her hands through her hair. “How the fuck am I gonna get anything done in the next three hours if I’m gonna be couch-locked in  _ twenty minutes _ .” She let her hands come down and smack her thighs before sitting back down with a groan. 

       “Yea, that’s kinda the point, Haughty. I wanna see you stoned off your ass.” 

       She dropped her head forward to hit her desk, resting her chin on it after a second. “I hate you.”

       “You’re gonna love me in a couple minutes,” she winked. 

       And, of course, Wynonna was right. 

       Within ten short minutes, she was very intently rolling her pen back and forth on her desk like she had never done it before. “Hey, Haught?” 

       She looked up at her, her eyes already droopy and red. “Hmm?” 

       “Do you need me to call Waves for you?” She questioned with a laugh, standing up and walking over to her. 

       Nicole eyed her every move, lifting her head when she stopped at her side. Her mouth curved into a smile, a few giggles escaping. “ _ Wave _ .” 

       “Uh-huh,” she nodded, sitting on the edge of the desk. 

       Nicole slouched back in her chair, letting her arms droop over the armrests. “Bro, I hit that  _ so hard _ this mornin’.” 

       Wynonna scrunched her face up at her. “Ok, my sister is not a  _ that _ , for one. Two, please do  _ not _ go into any more details, thank you.” Nicole's eyes became fixed on Alice’s moving arms, so she let out a sigh, pushing her phone to her ear. 

       “Hey, Wyn, what’s up?” Waverly answered.

       “Hey. You home?” She questioned. 

       “Yea, why?” 

       She let out a nervous laugh. “Yea, you need to come get Haught Cake right about now.” 

       “What happened this time?” She asked with a sigh, already moving around. 

       “Uh . . . She’s kinda baked . . . A lotta baked actually.”

       “ _ What _ ?! Oh, I’m gonna  _ beat her _ -” 

       “No, I gave her brownies and maybe didn’t tell her they were edibles until she was two down. But she's being a bit more of a handful than I thought.” 

       “ _ WYNONNA _ !” She groaned into the phone. “Let me talk to her.”

       The brunette handed the phone over to the still-zoned Nicole, hitting her face with it a few times until she reached up and grabbed it. She pushed it to her ear, staring up at the ceiling. “Hey, Baby.” 

       “Hi, Nic. Are you ok?” 

       She took in a deep breath, sinking deeper into the chair. “I’m  _ great _ , man,” she grinned with that signature High Slur™️. “How’re you?” 

       “I’m good, Babe. I’m on my way to get you, alright?” 

       “Noo,” she whined. “I like it here.” 

       “I know you do. But you can be high at work, you know that.” 

       The Sheriff began to giggle for a solid twenty seconds. “I’m so high.”

       Waverly sighed, “Mk, tell Wynonna I’ll be there in five.” 

       Nicole rolled her head to look at a very amused Wynonna. “She’ll be’re in five.” She nodded as she tried to contain her laughter and Nicole looked back up at the spot on the ceiling she had been examining. “Babe.” 

       “Yea?” 

       “She said ok.”

       “Ok.”

       “Hey.”

       “ _ What _ , Nic?”

       “I lu’ you.” 

       “I love you, too. Can you give the phone back to Nonna for me?”

       She furrowed her brow slightly. “You go’ be here soon?” She questioned softly. 

       “Yea, Baby. In about five minutes.” 

       “Promise?” 

       “I promise,” she said with a little laugh. “I’m already in the car.” 

       “Ok.”

       “Ok. Give the phone to Wynonna.” 

       “Ok.” She flopped her arm with the phone in the brunette’s direction and she reached over with the hand not holding Alice, putting it back against her ear. 

       “ _ Wynonna _ ,” Waverly said through her teeth. 

       “Yes . . .?” 

       “I’m going to beat the  _ shit _ out of you.” 

       “I have the baby with me, you can’t subject her to that kind of trauma,” she defended. 

       “ _ Oh my God _ ,” she muttered under her breath before hanging up the phone. She looked down at the blank screen before looking up at the redhead. Nicole met her eyes and gave her a hazy grin. 

       Waverly arrived at the station just on time. She climbed out of the jeep and walked inside grumpily, heading towards the Sheriff’s office. Opening the closed door, she stopped and glared at her sister, who was tossing balls of paper at Nicole as she spun around in her office chair. “I hate you.” 

       Wynonna stopped mid-aim and gave her a toothy grin and Nicole turned to face her with a loving smile. “Hi, Waves.” 

       “Hi, Nic,” she sighed, walking over to Wynonna and wacking her on the side of the head before gently taking the baby from her, cooing to her as she cradled her tightly in her arms. “D’you know what your Mama did? She drugged my fiancée, yes she did! And you know what I’ma do about it? I’m gonna kick her ass! Yes!” 

       Wynonna got up with a huff. “You sound sick. Gimme my baby.” 

       Waverly looked up at her, face flushing as her mouth came open slightly. They both turned their heads at the sound of cackling Nicole. “She ain’t sick, Earp.” 

       Her eyes bulged out and she quickly handed Alice over before starting towards her. “ _ No, don’t you dare _ ,” she gritted through her teeth. 

       Nicole rolled herself away from her with another giggle. “D’you know your baby sister doesn’t have a gag reflex?” 

       “ _ NICOLE _ !” Waverly barked, trying to grab her chair, but she kept scooting around her office away from her. 

       “Cause  _ I  _ did. And d’you know what I did about that?” She questioned with a smirk, looking at Wynonna’s horrified face. 

       The smaller girl finally caught her by the arm of the chair and jerked her around, clapping her hand over her mouth. “ _ Don’t _ ,” she ordered with hard eyes. 

       Nicole stared at her in shock for a second, for it was rare that the brunette actually yelled at her. But she was  _ definitely  _ not used to being scolded like a child. Her eyes got apologetically soft with regret and Waverly pulled her hand away, standing up straight as she continued to burn holes into her face. The redhead swallowed, lip pouting slightly as she immediately felt bad. 

       Waverly clenched her jaw, seeing the tears bordering the edges of her eyes. She sighed, pushing her fingers through Nicole’s hair as she crouched down in front of her. “It’s fine, don’t cry. I just wanna keep a  _ little  _ bit of my dignity.” She took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. Nicole nodded, seeming to have been able to keep her over-sensitive emotions in check. “You ready to go sleep this off?”

       “Yea,” she agreed, feeling just how heavy her limbs felt. 

       “Ok.” She stood up and wrapped her arm around her waist when she stood up. They began to walk towards the door and she looked towards her sister, who shook her head with a snicker. Waverly rolled her eyes, flipping her off as they walked out the door. 

       Wynonna looked down at Alice with a sigh. “Your aunts are some  _ freaky _ bitches.”

       Outside, Waverly and Nicole climbed into the jeep and the brunette pulled away, running her thumb along her hand as her vision fixed out the window. “Can we get Taco Bell?” The redhead questioned, lifting her head. 

       “You don’t need Taco Bell,” she sighed, knowing the closest one was 30 minutes away and she was already getting tired and had a pretty bad headache from her night at work. 

       “Yea-huh.” 

       “I went grocery shopping _yesterday_ , Love. You’ll find something at the house.”

       “I won’t find Taco Bell at the house,” she mumbled, dropping her head back to the glass. The smaller girl shook her head at her with a small smile. 

       Nicole was quiet for a few minutes, much to her relief, but soon started up again. “Wave.” 

       “Hmm?” 

       “Have you ever wanted to take a star from the sky ‘n, like . . . play with it?”

       The brunette let out an unexpected snort, laughing as she looked towards her relaxed body incredulously. “Have I  _ what _ ?” 

       “Ever wanted to play with a star? That’d be so cool, Dude.-” She let out a loud gasp as she looked towards her fiancée. “D’you think we’d get the star power ‘n start flashing like on Mario!?” 

       Waverly put the car in park after pulling up to the house, turning and cupping the redhead’s cheek. “I love you,” she sighed with a smile. 

       Nicole’s brow furrowed, wondering why she hadn’t answered her question, but she shrugged it off, giving her a smile. “I love you, too.” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly was glad that Nicole had only decided to devour a bag of chips with a side of half a container of cookies when they got inside. And it wasn’t that long after that she had nodded off on the couch. She woke up the next morning with a kink in her back, but thankfully, she wasn’t having any side effects. 

       Waverly was busy with Finals (already) for her “Junior year”, so the next two weeks were filled with a crabby pint-size brunette with bags under her eyes bigger than Kylie Jenner’s after a shopping adventure curled up on the couch with piles of papers around her. 

       But thankfully, her planning had worked out and they were to leave for their trip to Dallas within 4 days after she finished. 

 

       “Ok,” Nicole started, sitting down on the floor. “Both of you come here.” She clicked her tongue a few times and the cats walked over, sitting in front of her. “You’re gonna be with Grandpa Nedley for a whole week, ok? Seven days, that’s it. We’re not leaving you, I promise.” She reached out and pet Geronimo’s head. “You both need to behave yourselves and be  _ nice _ to Henry. Are we clear?” The smaller one walked closer and hopped into her lap, looking up at her. “Yea, I’ll miss you, too, Mo mo.” She pressed a kiss to his head, stroking her hand down Calamity Jane’s back when she rubbed against her leg. 

       “Nic?” Waverly called from the other room. 

       “Ya?” She called back. 

       “Are you talking to the cats?” 

       She blinked down at them for a second. “. . . Maybe?” 

       “Just get ‘em to Nedley’s, would ya? We have to leave for the airport for an hour!”

       She pursed her lips, standing and picking them both up. “Yes, Ma’am!” She walked out of the bedroom and headed towards the front door, seeing Waverly going through the checklist of everything in their suitcases for the second time. 

       “Do you have the paper?” She questioned as Nicole bent down to open the door, trying to keep Calamity from jumping out of her arm. 

       “In my pocket,” she said with a smile. 

       Waverly returned it and she walked out the door towards the jeep. “Don’t be late!” 

       Nicole was quickly at his house, so she grabbed the pet carrier she had put them in when she had gotten outside and walked up to the door, ringing the doorbell. 

       He answered with his usual warm smile. “Morning, Sheriff,” he greeted, that smirk that he got each time he called her that popping up on his face as he let her inside. 

       “Morning, Sheriff,” she laughed as she followed him to the living room, setting the carrier on the floor and opening the door to let them both do some exploring. Nedley followed her out to unload the rest of their things, bringing them into the house. She pulled the paper out of her pocket, showing him how Waverly had made him a very detailed chart of all their feeding times and whatnot. He read it over, trying to not get distracted by all the cats she had drawn all over it before walking over and pinning it on the fridge.

       “How long’s it been since you’ve been to Dallas?” He questioned.

       She blew a quick raspberry as she thought about it. “Right after I graduated college? Some friends I’d kept in touch with from high school were having a joint-graduation party since most of us had ended up graduating at the same time.” 

       “A while then, huh?” He nodded, leaning back against the sink. 

       “Almost 5 years, I guess.” 

       He stared at her for a second before shaking his head, tapping his finger on the brim of her red Rangers snapback. “God, you’re lucky. Rangers versus Astros?”

       A smirk pushed onto her face. “Right behind their dugout, too,” she added with a wink. 

       He let out a quiet whistle, shaking his head. “She  _ spoiled  _ you,” he sighed. 

       She chuckled. “It’s ok. Once she sees how I am at their games, she’ll never take me again.” 

       “You’ve got that right. Rebecca made the same mistake.  _ Never _ went to another one with me.” Nicole laughed, turning her head to look at the woman rolling her eyes at him on the couch, already cuddling with both cats. “Speaking of  _ wives _ . . . A little birdy told me about a month ago that  _ somebody _ ’s engaged.”

       Nicole blushed, dipping her head with a smile. “Does that _ little birdy _ happen to be my fiancée’s best friend?” She questioned, saying it loud enough so that Chrissy could hear her from the other room, also playing with the cats. 

       “Damn right, I am!” She shouted. 

       The two in the kitchen laughed and Nedley clapped her shoulder. “Congratulations, Haught.”

       “Thank you, Sir,” she mumbled bashfully as her cheeks stayed pink. She always got like that around him, it didn’t matter what it was. “And, uh, now that we’re on  _ that _ topic . . .” He raised his eyebrows. “Waverly’s already being  _ Waverly _ and has started planning minor bits and pieces of the wedding. We don’t have a date yet or anything, but, uhm, she wanted me to ask you now if  . . . you’d wanna walk with me down the aisle and give me away? Cause even though it is  _ extremely sexist and outdated _ or whatever, we’re still gonna do it, just not the traditional way.” She stopped rambling and looked up at him with a nervous, but hopeful smile.

       Awe seemed to rush over Randy’s face, and his eyes did the soft thing that made her heart go all gushy. “I’d be  _ honored  _ to, Nicole.” 

       “Yea?” 

       “Of course!” She beamed, pulling him into a hug. “I’ve prayed since Chrissy was born that’d I’d only ever have to do that  _ once _ , but this is definitely an alternative  _ two _ .” 

       Nicole laughed as she pulled away and he rubbed his hands on her shoulders. “Well, that’s if  _ she ever finds a man _ !” She yelled over his shoulder. 

       “Hey! I’ll have you know I have a Tinder date this weekend!” 

       “Girl, why don’t you and Perry just make it  _ official _ . I mean, you’re already-” 

       “ _ NICOLE _ !” She hissed through her teeth. The redhead snorted, quickly walking towards the door. 

       “What about the Croft’s boy?” Nedley questioned with a raised eyebrow. 

       Chrissy’s eyes burned fire through her, but she snapped her head towards her father. “Hey, did Nicole and Waves ever tell you about that time they made out in your off-” 

       “ _ CHRISSY _ !” 

       Randy looked towards Nicole and put his hands on his hips. “Did you deflower my couch, Haught?!” 

       She mouthed a  _ very  _ threatening warning to a  _ very _ pleased Chrissy before pulling the door open. “Gotta go, bye, love you!” She rushed out to the car and zoomed off from the Nedley’s with a stupid smile on her face. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Waverly looked over at Nicole with a frown, but she shook her head at her. “No. I warned you.” 

       “Baby,  _ please _ ,” she begged, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. They had just gotten to the maximum altitude and Nicole  _ had warned her _ that it’d be cold on the plane because  _ it always was _ . But the brunette had insisted that she’d be fine because  _ a jacket would ruin her outfit _ . But here she was, freezing her butt off in her matching floral crop top and shorts that she now didn’t care if was ruined by  _ Nicole’s _ grey jacket that she was using to  _ keep herself warm _ . 

       “No!” She laughed. “Aren’t  _ you  _ the one who told me I need to start getting a backbone with you?” 

       “ _ Babe _ .” Nicole’s eyes went wide as she looked down at her puppy dog eyes. She clenched her jaw,  _ trying so hard  _ to resist it. 

       But she couldn’t. 

       She couldn’t say no to the puppy dog eyes. 

       She tugged the jacket off with a huff at her attempt to hide her pleased smirk, tossing it at her face. She was now only left in a blue t-shirt and khaki joggers. Waverly pulled it on, wrapping her arms around her’s with a happy exhale, leaning up to press a kiss to her cheek. “You’re my  _ best _ Baby.” 

       She rolled her eyes playfully as she got Tangled pulled up on the iPad, sticking the earbud in the brunette’s ear maybe a little too forcefully. “I better be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dallas, here we come!


	72. Moral Support?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dallas Dallas Dallas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blech  
> This one took me so long cause I don't know if I like it or not  
> BUT  
> If you like Nicole's backstory, this one's for you

       The couple exited the plane and had a Hell of a time getting through TSA. Not only was Nicole chosen for a search in concern of the reason for her switchblade in her luggage, but the guy going through it decided to flirt with Waverly the whole time until he discovered her Sheriff's badge in one of the pouches. She had never seen fear smack someone so hard across the face so hard. She shot him a tight-lipped smile when he looked up at her and he quickly finished up before sending them on their way.

       Waverly leaned against the wall annoyedly as Nicole pulled some money out of the ATM. She had tried to tell her that she was covering everything this week, but the taller one had insisted that since she had paid for the game and the plane tickets that she was gonna pay for everything else. Waverly, though, had convinced (some would call it threatened) her to let them split the hotel cost. 

       “Jeez,” Waverly mumbled the second they stepped foot outside. She pulled the jacket off, tossing it back at her. “It’s  _ April  _ at _ 5 pm _ , what the  _ fuck _ ?” 

       Nicole raised her eyebrows, shaking her head at her with a laugh as she tied it around her waist. She had warned her Texas was hot. And it was roughly 80 degrees out at the moment. “‘Posed to hit 90 on Saturday,” she informed with a wink as she began to stack their luggage in their pre-ordered rental car for the week. 

       “ _ 90 _ ?!?”   


       “ _ I’va feeling were not in Canada anymore, Toto _ .” 

       The brunette threw her a look and they climbed in the car. “Wait, so that’s normal? Just like . . . 90-degree springtime?”

       “I mean, not  _ really _ . It’s usually from 60 to 80, but 90’s not  _ way  _ uncommon either.” She gave a small shrug. “You get used to it after living here for a while. Just like you are used to snow on the ground half the year. You’d be lucky if you got an inch in a  _ whole year _ here.” 

       “Really?” 

       “Yep. I didn’t really see snow until I was 6. It snowed 2 inches overnight and it was the coolest thing little me had  _ ever  _ seen.” 

       “Damn,” she mumbled, relaxing back into her seat as Nicole pulled away. She noticed the familiarness as she drove as if she knew where every road led to. And with so, they were quickly at their hotel after they had stopped to get some food. 

       Nicole set her bag by the foot of the bed, looking up at the brunette standing at the big window that overlooked the city. A small smile pushed on her face as she walked over, wrapping her arms around her front. She immediately relaxed back into her as if it were a reflex, feeling her let out a sigh against her back. “What?” She questioned, looking up at her face. 

       She shook her head. “Nothing. I just . . . love it here.” 

       “Mm,” she let out in understanding before turning around. “What d’you wanna do now?” 

       “Truthfully?” 

       “Obviously.” 

       “I kinda just wanna chillax for the rest of the night.” That wasn’t too surprising. She had worked a double shift the day before. “But if you wanna go do something, that’d be fine, too.” 

       Waverly smiled, cupping her cheek and pulling her down into a soft kiss. “I asked cause I’m  _ exhausted _ and just wanna lay down and watch movies until we fall asleep,” she informed, pushing a final chaste kiss to her lips. 

       “ _ Great _ idea.” 

       Waverly giggled as she pulled out of her arms. She set her suitcase on the bed and opened it up, looking up at her with a blinding smile as she pulled out her rainbow unicorn onesie. Nicole shook her head, switching out her outfit for a tank and some shorts.

       They climbed up on the bed and Nicole looked over at the nightstand, turning her head with a furrowed brow. "Where's the clicker?" 

       Waverly looked towards the one on her side, seeing it on the floor. She grabbed it, handing it over as she snuggled under her arm, pulling the quilt up. "I'll give you a pass to say that while we're here," she mumbled. 

       "You wait until the end of the week. I'm gonna sound like I did when I left for college," she said with a laugh. 

       "No you _won't_. " 

       She nodded as she clicked through the channels. "I dunno why, but hearing other people around here talking all sexy 'n southern rewires my brain." 

       "As long as you don't start chewing on straw, I'll be good."

       Nicole rolled her eyes as she decided on something for them to watch. "I might  _ just  _ for you." 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The sun had set hours back when the couple finally turned the TV off, winding down for the night seeing that the redhead had already dozed off a few times. Waverly turned off the lamp on her side and let Nicole situate herself before dropping her head back on her chest, getting as close to her warmth as much as possible. "Good?" The redhead asked in a tired slur. 

       "Mhm." 

       "Mk. Ni' night." 

       "Ni' night." 

       The smaller girl slid her fuzzy-sleeved hand up her shirt, gently running it across her stomach before letting it come to rest with her fingers wrapped lightly around her side. She closed her eyes with the goal being sleep, but her brain seemed to have different ideas. Her thoughts were running at a hundred miles an hour. She was having a bit of a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that she was now in the area where her fiancée had spent the first  _ 18 years _ of her life, but she was so excited for her to let her be apart of her re-exploration.

       But there was also the other side of it that she was  _ extremely  _ worried about. Somewhere in the depths of Dallas was the house that her trauma occurred in. And not to mention that her mother was also in the vicinity somewhere and she knew that was still a rather sensitive subject for her. But Nicole had brushed it all off each time she had questioned if she’d be fine coming back to her homeland the weeks prior to the trip, assuring her that’d she be fine. But that was Nicole. Nicole puts on a brave face for her just so she doesn’t worry. That’s just how she was and it’s probably how she’s always been. 

       She hadn’t really realized she had been stewing over her thoughts until her eyes opened a bit and she saw that 15 minutes had passed since they laid down. But she also noticed that Nicole’s thumb was rubbing her back every couple of seconds, so she knew she was also awake still, and that surprised her a bit. 

       “Nic?” She whispered softly. 

       “Yea, Baby?” She mumbled back. 

       “What’re you thinking about?” 

       Her head rose as the redhead took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “How much I love it here.”

       “Mm.” She traced her finger around in a circle. 

       “What’re  _ you  _ thinking about?”  

       The brunette was quiet for a few seconds. “Can I ask you something?” 

       “Anything, Love.” 

       “Are you sure?” She asked timidly. 

       She let out a small huff as she gently rolled them to their sides, scooting her up to be closer to her face. “I’m sure.” 

       She swallowed a little as the redhead looked right in her eyes. “Why . . .” She looked down, picking at a string on her sleeve. “Why  _ do  _ you love it so much? Cause . . . after you told me about it all, I figured you hated it here.” She raised her eyes back up, hoping she wasn’t pushing her too hard. 

       Nicole must have noticed the worry in her eyes because she cupped her cheek, kissing her forehead. “It’s ok,” she assured, her gentle smile slightly illuminated by the lights outside. “I . . . I _did_ hate it for a while. After it happened, all I wanted was to leave. And that’s why I did. But as I got older, I realized how much your childhood means to you. And I did have a pretty good childhood when you take _him_ out of the picture. But, uh. Almost every single bit of who I am is cause of this place. I mean, the _Rangers_ , duh. The reason I can’t _stand_ Canadian barbeque. Cause, Baby, you ain’t _lived_ ‘less you’ve had you some _Texas_ _barbeque_ ,” she drawled with a wink. Waverly rolled her eyes, fighting back a smile. “Then baseball. I don’t know how I would have managed if I hadn’t gone to Coppell for high school cause their athletic program is . . . out of this fricking world.” She paused for a second. “And, ya know . . . the _other_ stuff, too. If it wouldn’t have happened here then I wouldn’t have met Nedley and I’d _probably_ be in the MLB right now. And that means . . . I would have never met you. And that- that’s kinda scary to think about.” Waverly smiled, pressing a kiss to her hand. "Think about it like this. You moved back into the Homestead. Did you think you were _ever_ gonna go back there?" 

       Her eyes widened a bit at that, finally making a connection. "No." 

       "And why did you?" 

       "Cause . . . Well, I was tired of living above Shorty's, for one. But . . . I dunno, yea. That house built me." 

       Nicole smiled, tipping her head up into a kiss. "Funny how that works, huh? I guess watching your father get shot _really_ makes a place special." 

       " _ Oh my God _ ," Waverly huffed, flipping over. 

       Nicole chuckled, tugging her closer to her front and peppering a few kisses onto her neck. "Love you, Wave," she exhaled. 

       "Love you, too." 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The couple woke up late, both having gotten a beautiful 10 hours of sleep. They ended up  _ actually _ getting out of bed a few hours later, heading out the door to go find somewhere to eat. 

       “What’s the plan today, Sheriff Haught?” Waverly questioned as they climbed back in the car after their meal. 

       “ _ Well _ .” She backed out of the parking spot. “I was thinking we should take a trip down memory lane.” 

       Her eyes widened a bit at her. “Wh- you mean?” 

       She looked towards her for a second, reading her nervous face. “All the way to the beginning,” she said with a nod, confirming her question.

       “I don’t think that’s-” 

       “I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now, Babe.”

       Waverly stared at her for a couple more seconds. She finally let out a sigh, pushing her hand through her hair. "If you start freaking your shit, I don't know how to get us back to the hotel." 

       "I know. I'll be fine. I almost did this when I was here last time, but I . . . was busy." 

       "Mm,  _ Busy _ . D'you do some catching up with your 8th through Senior year fling?" 

       She raised her eyebrows at her with a laugh. ". . . That's _one_ way to put it." The brunette shook her head, pinching her hand. 

       They drove on the highway for a bit before somehow ending up on some curvy back roads. She was still trying to figure out how Nicole seemed to have this whole state mapped out in her brain. 

       That thought dispersed, though, when she slowed to a stop outside of a long, bricked house that was the only house for at least half a mile on either side. It was a few acres from the road and there were woods right behind it. 

       Nicole popped her gum, turning her head towards the window. “First house I ever lived in. All the way up to eight years old.”

       Waverly lifted her hand to her face, pushing a kiss into the back of it. “I never saw you as a farm girl,” she smirked, seeing that the other side of the road was just fields for miles. 

       “My mom’s family owns all of that.” 

       “Really?” 

       “It was my grandpa’s, but he died when I was only one or two, so now my uncles run it all as far as I know.”

       “Your mom’s not that old, though?” She said, wondering how he died at a presumably younger age.

       “Yea, she’ll be 47 this year. But he died in a car wreck. And my grandma’s on her third or fourth husband since. She’s a little . . .” Nicole twirled her finger around by her head.

       “ _ Ah _ ,” Waverly nodded. “How big  _ is  _ your family?”

       “My mom had two sisters and two brothers, but they aren’t that close. There’s her, Sharon, and then Jeff, Brian, Gloria, and Liz. Both brothers are still around here running the farm, but Gloria is in Oklahoma. Jeff has two sons, Brian and his wife foster kids, and Gloria has three daughters and a son. Liz never decided to settle down, so . . . I don't know if any of the cousins have kids or anything yet.” She gave a little shrug. “My father had a half-sister, Lynda. Never met her. And don’t know _or care_ what’s going on with his parents.”

       Waverly slowly nodded as she intently listened. “Were you close to any of your cousins growing up or anything?” 

       “Me and Jeff’s sons would play together all through growing season, and whatever kids Brian had been taking care of would sometimes join in. JJ was my age and Joseph was two years younger. We’d end up annoying them up by the main farm, so they’d send us over here to screw around in the yard. We’d play football, soccer, baseball, go explore the woods, have mud fights, wrestle, you name it.” She shook her head. “After we left here, we never really saw each other besides holidays, though.” 

       “That’s kinda sad,” the brunette mumbled. 

       “Eh. They didn’t like me  _ playing like the boys _ anyway, so most of the time I got yelled at for walking inside all dirty.” 

       “I can  _ so  _ see you playing with Barbies, yea,” she laughed. 

       Nicole let out a little snort. “That’d be a sight to see.” 

       “What happened  _ after  _ you moved out? Did they kick him out?”

       “ _ They _ beat the shit out of him and  _ then  _ kicked him out,” she informed. “I’m not sure who lives there now.” She could see a couple of cars in the open garage way up there. 

       Speaking of cars. 

       Nicole noticed that a big blue diesel pickup truck was heading their way. It stopped when it got about 10 feet of their car and the door swung open, a muscular guy with a baseball cap hopping out and cocking his shotgun aimed at the sky. 

       “Damn Miller’s are some  _ crazy  _ fuckers,” she muttered to herself as she flicked her blade out and quickly got out of the car. 

       “Nicole!” Waverly shouted with wide eyes. 

       “ _ Joseph _ , put that shit away, god  _ damn _ ,” the redhead snapped. 

       Her cousin squinted at her for a couple of seconds before his eyes went wide at the realization of who it was. He shoved the gun back in his truck before walking towards her. “What the hell’re  _ you  _ doing back here?!” He questioned with a laugh. 

       “Came to see if y’all’d fucked up Gramp’s legacy yet,” she smirked, crossing her arms in front of herself after putting her switchblade away. 

       He rolled his eyes, pulling her into a short hug and smacking her back. “Where’d you end up, Red? It’s been a minute.” His tall, muscular figure was intimidating, especially with his cut-off tank and dirty hands and jeans, but his soft, sky blue eyes and deep dimples made him less scary up close. 

       She rubbed the back of her neck with a small chuckle. “Canada. Been there since I took off.” 

       “Canada, aye?” He laughed, mocking the accent.

       She threw him a playful glare. “I’m a Sheriff. Watch it, Buddy.”

       “No shit?” 

       She nodded with a proud grin. “Been for a couple months now. Small town in the middle of nowhere, but it’s got it’s fair share of idiots to deal with. You’d fit right in.” 

       “Hey now.” His eyes drifted towards the car. “Who’s Cutie?” He questioned, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lighting one up, offering her the box. 

       She shook her head at it. “Fiancée, so don’t try it.” 

       His eyebrows went up as he tucked it back in his pocket. “So that part  _ was  _ true?” He mumbled. 

       She popped her gum again, shoulders squaring at his tone. “That I’m a sinner destined for Hell? Yep, seems so.” 

       He shook his head with a huff. “I’m not like all them, Red.” 

       She relaxed a bit. “. . . Good.”

       His eyes drifted back to the car and he caught Waverly’s eye, shooting her a wink. The brunette rolled her eyes with a small smile. “She’s not my type, don’t worry,” he assured, looking back at Nicole.

       “She’s  _ everybody’s _ type.” 

       He threw her a challenging look, lifting his shirt a little and flipping the band of his boxers down. 

       Revealing a tiny rainbow heart tattoo. 

       He fixed it, dropping his shirt. “Like I said, not my type.” 

       Her eyes slowly raised back to his, mouth slightly opened. “And I thought  _ I  _ was the gay cousin,” she mumbled quietly. 

       “So did I,” he chuckled, taking a deep draw of his cigarette and blowing it towards the sky. 

       “Does anyone know?”

       He let out an honest laugh. “D’you think I’d still be working on the  _ Family Farm _ if they did?”

       That was a fair point. “Why  _ don’t _ you go then? Be you.”

       He shrugged. “I’m happy here. No one’s ever suspected anything.” He looked towards the person walking up the driveway from the house. “And they think Luke’s my  _ best friend _ .” 

       “Wait,  _ you  _ live here now?” She gawked. 

       “Yea . . . Sorry . . .” He kicked a rock, tossing the butt of the cigarette towards the field. 

       She shook her head. “No, I don’t care. Shit happens. Just happened to happen on family land.” 

       He offered up a soft smile, but turned his head as Luke stopped beside him. “Hey, Babe,” he mumbled as he leaned into a quick kiss. 

       They pulled away at the sound of the car door opening. “Now  _ hold on _ a fucking minute,” Waverly started with a confused look on her face as she rounded the car towards Nicole. 

       The men stared back at her with the same look on their faces, but the redhead laughed as she wrapped her arm around her waist, giving it a squeeze. “You learn something new every day,” she smiled, knowing why she was  _ very  _ confused. 

       “Uh, Joe?” Luke questioned from beside him, probably wanting to know who the people standing in front of them were. 

       “ _ Right _ ! This’s my cousin, Nicole, and her fiancée, . . .” He looked towards the brunette. 

       “Waverly,” she finished with a smile. 

       The shorter man’s eyes were fixed on the redhead. “Wait, Nicole, as in . . .-”

       “Murderous father Nicole? Yep,  _ that  _ Nicole,” she confirmed. 

       Waverly smacked her stomach. “ _ Nic _ .” 

       The Sheriff looked down at her with a shrug. “What?” The younger one rolled her eyes. 

       “Ok. I told Dad I was coming to pick up some tools and he’s gonna come searching for my ass if I don’t get back there.” Joseph pulled his phone out of his pocket. “When are y’all heading back?” 

       “The second,” Nicole informed, taking a step towards him as she pulled her own phone out. “Y’all two wanna do dinner or something before we leave?” 

       “If you’re payin’,” Luke smirked from his position talking to the brunette. 

       “I like you,” Waverly grinned. 

       Nicole sighed, looking back up at the blonde. “Sounds good,” he smiled, sticking his phone back after getting her number. He pulled her into another hug, squeezing her shoulder. “It was nice seeing you again,” he mumbled. 

       She pulled back, smacking his arm. “You, too, Kid. Now go or Uncle Jeff’s gonna skin ya.” 

       He chuckled, pulling his hat off and pushing his hand through his hair. “Wanna ride back to the house, Luke?” 

       He nodded, turning his head towards the couple. “Nice meetin’ you two,” he smiled before walking over to the truck. 

       “You, too,” they both called. He gave them a wave before climbing in. The truck turned up the driveway, so Nicole and Waverly got back in the car and pulled away. 

       “Well then,” Waverly sighed. The Sheriff looked towards her, letting out a breath and shaking her head, obviously also trying to put the last 15 minutes together. 

       After getting back into the actual city, Nicole slowed down as she drove past a church-looking building. “That’s where I did pre-k through 4th grade.”

       “Catholic School?” Waverly grimaced. 

       “It was as bad as it sounds,” she mumbled. 

       They were soon back in Dallas and Waverly was starting to get a little nervous if she was being honest. A little relief lifted off her chest, though, for she pulled into the high school’s parking lot with a devilish smirk on her face. “What are we doing?” She asked slowly. 

       “We’re gonna go bother Coach Carters,” she grinned, getting out of the car. 

       Waverly followed. “Are you allowed to go in the school?” She knew it was after school hours, but didn’t know if they let random people wander around the building. 

       “He’s not  _ in  _ the building.” 

       Waverly looked in the direction they were heading and realized they were going towards the baseball field. “ _ Oh no _ .”

       They reached the gate and the man had his back turned as the group of boys were playing catch in the outfield, seeming to be doing their warmups. Waverly smiled widely, seeing that Nicole’s name was in big letters under the scoreboard with a gather of different titles and awards listed underneath it. They slowly entered through the dugout and Nicole got her to stay back as she slowly crept up behind him, snatching the cap off of his head and placing it on her own.

       Coach Carters whipped around with wide eyes as she darted back a few steps. His body relaxed but his face remained shocked as she smirked at him. “Am I seeing things or is Nicole Haught standing in front of me?” 

       “I think you’re seeing things, Old Man.” 

       The grey-haired man laughed as he walked towards her. “Gimme my damn hat back, You.” She giggled as he wrapped her in a hug, setting the hat back on his head. He pulled back after a second, looking her over. “Sheriff’s life has treated you good, Kid,” he smiled, clapping her shoulder. 

       He brow cocked. “You been stalking me, Coach?” 

       He put his hands up. “I’ve just always kept my tabs on you open.” 

       “Mmmhmmm.” 

       He rolled his eyes but noticed Waverly leaning against the fence behind them. “Who’d ya bring along?” 

       She turned her head, throwing her a smile and waving her over. She looked back to Coach Carters. “My fiancée.” Waverly stopped at Nicole’s side, giving the man a small smile. “Waverly, Triple C. Triple C, Waverly.” 

       He threw the redhead a look as he shook her hand. “Craig Carters,” he corrected. 

       She shook her head. “She’s a pain, I’m sorry.” 

       “Tell me about it,” he grumbled. 

       “I’m standing  _ right here _ ,” Nicole reminded. 

       “We know,” they both said at the same time. 

       “Y’all want me to do it?” Nicole questioned, looking around at all of the eager faces around her. They had eventually gotten around to meeting the team and it was weird knowing that they all knew _exactly_ who she was. 

       “Yea!” They all whooped. 

       Nicole smirked, “Alright. Pitcher and second, get out there.” They jogged out to their positions and she borrowed the catcher’s glove, trotting over to home plate after handing Coach the stopwatch. She rolled her arm around before getting him to throw it a few times to warm her muscles up. “Ok.” She threw it back to the pitcher one last time. “You ready, Coach?” She asked, looking towards him. He gave her a nod. She looked out at the two boys in front of her. “Y’all ready?” They both nodded. “Alright, let’s do it.” She dropped down to a catcher’s stance and let out a slow breath, opening and closing her free hand a few times. 

       The pitcher wound up and pitched it, and she snatched it up, firing a cannonball to the second baseman. It was faster than she had expected. She guessed coaching the Blue Devils last year had helped her out a bit. If a member from the team wasn’t screaming, they were staring at her slack-jawed. 

       She walked towards Craig with a crooked smile as the pitcher and second walked back over. “Holy Hell, Haught, you’ve still got it,” he said with wide eyes, looking up from the timer. 

       “Thanks,” she chuckled, playfully brushing off her shoulder. 

       “ _1.75_!” He shouted, pushing one of her shoulders. 

       Her face blushed a little with a bashful grin. Waverly walked over to her with a giggle, standing up on her toes and pushing a kiss to her cheek. “Y’all wanna scrimmage?” She asked the team with a smirk. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       They finished up an hour or so later, and Nicole pulled away from the school. “That was fun,” she sighed. 

       “Yea?” 

       “Mhm.” She relaxed back into the seat, but Waverly could see how her posture was slightly rigid as she drove. She moved her hand over to her thigh, rubbing it gently with her thumb.

       “We don’t have to go, Baby,” she said softly after a few minutes. 

       Nicole looked towards her for a second with her jaw clenched a little. “I know. But I want to.” 

       “I know you  _ want  _ to. But it’s not gonna make you any less strong if we don’t.” 

       Nicole slowed down outside of a subdivision. “If I can go and look at the place where everything went down, it’s gonna be  _ a lot _ easier for me to get through things when I feel like it’s controlling me.” 

       Waverly chewed on the inside of her top lip for a second, looking into her eyes hidden under her sunglasses. “Ok,” she sighed. “Just don’t push yourself too hard, ok?” 

       The redhead cupped her hand over the one on her leg with a squeeze as she drove through the entrance. “I won’t, Wave.” 

       They drove down the road for a couple of blocks before hanging a left and going two more blocks, coming to a stop right outside of Marble Street. The Sheriff leaned her chin on her hand, looking down the road for a few seconds. Waverly decided to leave her be this time, letting her psych herself up however she saw fit. 

       After a minute, she dropped her hand back to Waverly’s that was on her leg, interlocking their fingers as she slowly made the turn, creeping down the road with her eyes locked on the left side of the street. She swallowed as she came to a stop 3 houses before the cul de sac, looking at the 2-story grey house with a garage attachment.

       Waverly watched as she pulled out of her hand, putting the car in park and unbuckling. “Nic . . .” The redhead proceeded to open her door and step out. “ _ Hey _ .” She quickly got out and walked around, seeing that she had leaned against her door with her arms folded in front of her. She let out a small breath of relief, moving beside her and leaning back. 

       She stared at it for several minutes, not saying a single word, and Waverly remained quiet beside her. 

       But then the front door opened. 

       A man pulling a bright yellow safety jacket over his other construction attire pulled the front door closed behind him, looking up for a second, but then doing a double-take at the couple standing in front of the house. “Can I help you?” He asked confusedly, slowly walking down the porch steps. 

       “Just lookin’,” Nicole informed, her voice quieter than usual. The younger girl looked up at her face, seeing just how vulnerable she felt just by looking at it.

       “Why . . .?” 

       Waverly felt a little bad because this guy was just trying to get to work, but was now trying to figure out why two women were chilling out in front of his house. “I used to live here.”

       He gave a long nod, raising his eyebrows. “Before or after the Sgt. Haught shooting?” 

       She looked up at the redhead, feeling her tense up beside her. “. . . _During_."

       The man’s eyes widened, mouth coming open slightly. “ _ Oh _ .” She took her sunglasses off, hanging them on her shirt so she could look him in the eye directly. “I-I’m sorry,” he finally managed to get out, running his hand down his beard. 

       She shook her head. “Don't be.” 

       He turned towards the door before looking back at her. “Is there anything you need me to do, or . . .”

       Waverly spoke up, “Just give us a couple minutes out here to look and we’ll go. Right, Nic?” She looked up at the redhead, who gave her a nod. 

       “And who might you be, Miss?” He questioned. 

       “. . . Moral support?” 

       He nodded with a smile, looking between the two. “Alright, well, I’ll leave you two to it. I trust that you’re not gonna try anything . . . Have a good one.- And, uhm, I’m really sorry about what happened here.” Nicole nodded again as a thank you and Waverly gave him a little wave as he walked over to his truck and pulled away. 

       “You ok so far, Love?” The smaller girl asked softly once he was down the road, turning her body and running her hand gently across her stomach. 

       “Yea,” she mumbled with a swallow. 

       “You sure?” Nicole looked down at her with another nod, but the brunette cupped her cheek with a frown, seeing how her eyes were filled with tears and she was biting heavily onto her bottom lip. “Oh, Baby.”

       The redhead closed her eyes, pushing off the car as the smaller girl wrapped her in a hug. “It hurts,” she mumbled softly into her shoulder. 

       “I know.” She pulled back, rubbing her hands up and down her sides. “I’ll drive. Let’s go take a breath, yea?” Nicole let her lead her around to the passenger’s side door before she hopped into the other side and pulled away, driving out of the subdivision and pulling into some restaurant’s parking lot that was a couple of streets down. She parked, turning her body towards her and rubbing her hand on her arm with soothing words as she cried into her hands. 

       Nicole raised her head and looked out the windshield for a minute before sniffling and wiping her face with the bottom of her shirt. “I’m sorry.”

       “No. There’s nothing to be sorry about.”

       “You bring me down here for a  _ fucking vacation _ and I get all depressy on you,” she grumbled at herself. 

       “Hey.” She tipped her head towards her a bit. “I’d be fine coming down here  _ just  _ so you could do that.” 

       “What, cry like a baby?” 

       “Uh-unh. Look at me.” She cupped each of her cheeks, turning her face all the way towards her. “ _ You _ , Nicole Haught, are the strongest person I have  _ ever _ met. And crying does not make you weak. Now quit beating yourself up over how you express your emotions.” She had always had the ability to scold her while still looking at her with the softest eyes. The redhead sighed as she closed her eyes, leaning into her hands with a nod. Waverly pulled her hands away after a few seconds, turning her body back forward as Nicole interlocked their fingers. Waverly lifted their arms. “Why’re your hands so  _ big _ ?” She questioned with a giggle, lining their hands up palm to palm, seeing how the top joint of all of her fingers hung above the tips of hers and the edges of her palm were visible on all sides. 

       Nicole cocked an eyebrow at her. “Cause I’m tall?” She guessed. “Why? D’you have a problem with them, Miss Earp?” 

       The smaller girl let out a whimper, hugging her arm to her chest. “Noo. I love them,” she pouted. And she really did. People always found it weird that her hands were one of her favorite features. And it wasn’t because of . . .  _ ya know _ . That only was a  _ tiny _ bit of the reasoning. But there was just something about how her hand fit perfectly in her’s and how they were the perfect size when they were resting on her waist. They were always soft and warm, and Nicole had a habit of always having to touch her when they were within arms reach of each other. Whether it be holding her hand or wrapping her arms around her waist or even just resting her hand on her thigh. And it wasn’t her being clingy. She was just being Nicole, making sure she always knew she was right there. And Waverly  _ loved _ it more than anything.

       “You love them?” She asked with a little laugh, rubbing her thumb on the side of her neck where her hand was popping out of the top of her grasp. 

       “Mhm,” she nodded with a big smile. 

       “Yea, me too. You know why?” 

       “Why?” She questioned, letting it go. 

       “Cause it is the  _ perfect  _ size for me to do  _ this _ .” She palmed Waverly’s face with a laugh as she pulled at her hand with a whine. She released it, sliding her hand down to her chin and leaning forward into a kiss. She pulled away, pushing their foreheads together with a growing smile. “I think it’s time for some Whataburger.” 

       She had never seen someone shift out of park so fast. 


	73. Everything's Gayer in Texas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> G  
> A  
> Y

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya know, I considered taking the beginning part out, thinking that I had written too much smut lately  
> But then I remembered that y'all are n a s t i e s and that there is no such thing as "too much smut"   
> So here we are
> 
> Enjoy ;)

       The couple’s alarm went off at 8 AM and Waverly rolled off of the redhead to shut it off. She flipped to her back, stretching with a groan. Nicole rubbed her eye with a yawn, tugging the blanket up to her chin and watching the brunette wake herself up. She let out a content hum as she scooted towards her, wrapping her arm around her torso as she pushed a couple of kisses into the side of her shoulder. Waverly pushed her hand through her hair, working out a couple of tangles as she worked up to her face. She turned her head, cupping her cheek as she met her lips. “Mm. Morning,” the smaller girl sleepily smiled after a couple of seconds. 

       “Morning,” Nicole responded, resting her chin on her chest as she moved her body onto her front. 

       Waverly leaned her head back on the pillow as she wrapped her arms around her, sliding her hand up and down her bare back. Nicole snuggled into her chest, closing her eyes as she ran her thumb across her upper arm a few times.

 

       The brunette shook awake, realizing she had nodded off. She grabbed her phone off the nightstand, seeing that thirty minutes had passed. She sucked in a deep breath, “Shit.” She rubbed her face before tapping her hand on the redhead’s shoulder a few times. 

       She let out a small whine, keeping her eyes closed. “No me gusta,” she muttered half-asleep. 

       She annoyedly pulled the quilt off of them. “Cole, we gotta get ready,” she yawned, running her hands down her waist.

       “Mm-mnm.” 

       “Baby, we’ve gotta be at the stadium by 11. It’s already 9.” 

       That certainly woke her up. 

       It was officially their 3rd full day in the US. The day before, they had traveled around to all the museums Waverly had insisted on, ending the day with the aquarium. And it was finally the 28th; the day of the first of the three Rangers games.

       The redhead blinked up at her with a grin for a few seconds, but the brunette gave her butt a squeeze. “Get off, we’ve gotta get ready!” 

       “If you’re threatening me with that, maybe I don’t wanna,” she smirked, pushing up to hover over her face. 

       “Don’t even start, Morning Breath,” Waverly grumbled as she rolled her off and slipped off the bed. 

       “Hey!” Nicole crawled off the bed and followed her into the bathroom. She was standing at the mirror with a big smirk on her face, undoing her hair from the messy bun it was in. “That was mean,” she mumbled as she crossed her arms with an angry pout. 

       Waverly turned around and went over to her, pulling her arms down. “What’s wrong?” She questioned, mocking her pout as she slid Nicole’s hands down to her ass. 

       “You’re mean to me.” 

       “I  _ am _ ?” She questioned innocently, backing her up to the wall and running her finger down her neck. “How so?” 

       Her innocent grin turned sly as she felt the vibrations of the growl she let out. The Sheriff cupped her ass tightly with one hand as she rolled her lip down with the other, latching on. Waverly let out a whimper, feeling Nicole slot her thigh in between hers, tugging her flush against her. She slipped her tongue into her mouth as she ground on it, letting out a heavy sigh. 

       Though, it didn’t seem to be cutting it for the redhead for whatever reason. She quickly pushed off the wall, lifting her and dropping her on the counter by the sink, attaching her lips to her neck. 

       “No marks,” she breathed out. Nicole pulled back, looking up at her with an upset brow. “I forgot my hickey foundation,” she added with a sorry shrug. 

       She pursed her lips at her, shaking her head. “I guess I’ll have to be careful then,” she sighed without a hint of a smile. 

       Waverly’s eyes widened and she dropped her head, nipping at her collarbone as she pulled the front of her sports bra down, exposing her breasts. The brunette squeezed her fingers into her shoulders as she slid her hands to her waist, wrapping her lips around a perked bud, doing the same to the other after a few seconds. She pulled back, tugging the bra all the way off her before doing the same with her sweatpants. She ran her hands up her thighs, slowly pushing her right thumb through her folds and rolling it around.

       The smaller girl tipped her head back with a quiet moan, sliding her hand down her cheek. She looked up, though, seeing that the redhead had caught her thumb in between her teeth. She rolled her eyes playfully, plugging her mouth with it. She toyed her tongue around it for a few seconds before pushing it out and connecting their lips. 

       “Shower,” Waverly mumbled between kisses. “Two birds, one stone.” 

       Nicole pushed their foreheads together with a feral grin. “ _ So smart _ .” She pulled back, stripping her own bra and shorts before turning the water on. She walked back over to her and the brunette cupped her cheeks as she met her lips again. The Sheriff kissed down her body, dropping to her knees as she got to her stomach. The brunette cocked an eyebrow as she moved her legs over her shoulders, but the thought flew away as she began to suck along her inner thigh. 

       “ _ Nic _ ,” she whined as she slowly ran the tip of her tongue up her slit. The redhead smirked, gripping her waist and pulling her off the counter as she stood up, keeping her knees hooked over her shoulders, but letting her lean forward so she was upright. “What the hell are you doing?” She laughed, locking her fingers around the back of her head. 

       Nicole chuckled as she walked them into the shower, pushing her hands up on the bottom of her thighs and forcing her back to the corner of the shower wall. Waverly let out a startled gasp, gripping her hands on the ledge of the tile at the top where it stopped, looking down as she attached her mouth to her throbbing nub. “ _ Oh _ my God.” Her thighs on her shoulders and Nicole’s hands pushed up on her ass was all that was holding her the Sheriff’s whole 5 foot 9 inches in the air, balanced by the walls behind her. 

       This was definitely not how she had planned to start her morning. 

       She looked down at her with her mouth open as whimpers tumbled out, seeing how the Sheriff looked up and met her eyes as she added more pressure with her tongue. the younger girl let out a sharp cry, fingers digging deeper into the tile. “ _ Yes _ , like that,  _ fuck _ ,” she moaned, head rolling back against the wall. Nicole boosted her up a bit, burying her face farther into her and hearing her pants quicken rapidly. 

       She couldn’t help but smirk a minute later as, through the vice her thighs put on her head, she could hear her name echoing off the walls, knowing they’d be getting some looks when they walked out of their hotel room later. 

       She slowed her movements to bring her off the high before pulling her head back and looking up at her flushed face slowly returning to it’s normal color, giving her a dimpled smile. “Was that good, Babe?” She questioned as she backed her off the wall, sliding her hands up to her lower back and lowering her to her chest, knees hooking again. She moved her hands to her waist and lifted slightly so she could slip them off, then setting her down under the water.

       Waverly dropped her head to her shoulder, looping her arms around her neck. “Great, Babe.” She lifted her head, running her tongue up her chin to collect the wetness that lingered, getting a groan out of her when she connected their lips. She pulled back, turning them so the taller girl was under the stream. “I didn’t know you could do that,” she giggled, combing her fingers through the hair at the base of her neck. 

       “I don’t know if I should be offended, considering that you weigh barely a hundred pounds and I bench  _ my _ weight every time I work out.” 

       The brunette shot her a look. “Can I gawk at your  _ super sexy  _ strength for  _ three  _ seconds without you going all  _ you _ , please?” She pursed her lips before letting out a sigh, running both hands through her hair and flexing her arms. The younger girl smirked, grabbing her wrists and pulling her arms down to wrap around her body as she cupped her neck when she leaned up into a soft kiss. “ _ Much _ better.” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The Sheriff was practically jumping off the walls as they headed towards the stadium. “Would you chill out?” Waverly laughed as she dragged her along, getting in line for the metal detectors. 

       “I’m excited!” 

       “ _ Wow _ , really?” It wasn’t very hard to tell, considering that she was decked out in Rangers’ attire. She had her signed cap, the jersey Waverly had gotten her, blue to red ombré shorts with the logo on the side, red white and blue crew socks, and a pair of Rangers Converse that Waverly 1. Didn’t know Nicole _owned_. , and 2. Didn’t even know _existed._

       Waverly looked a little ( _ a lot _ ) less insane. She only had one of Nicole’s Rangers baseball-tees that she had tied into a knot on the side and one of her  _ at least  _ eight snapbacks. The rest of her clothes were normal human clothes. 

       They got through security and got their tickets scanned, now making their way inside. The game wasn’t starting for another 45 minutes, so they hopped in the food line, knowing that since it was a Rangers versus Astros game, there was going to be more people there than usual, so this would be the best time to get some lunch and a drink. 

 

       20 minutes later, they were finally through the line and able to head to their seats. Waverly’s eyes bulged out when she went through their gate, seeing how much bigger the inside was in person than it looked in pictures and such. “Sick, right?” Nicole grinned as they walked down the steps to their seats. She nodded, looking out onto the field at the players warming up. Nicole stepped back, letting her enter the row first and sitting next to her. 

       “Ok, wait. Which one’s which?” 

       Nicole let out a little laugh, setting her cup in the cupholder and resting her food on her lap. “Rangers are in white, Astros are in navy.” 

       “Got it.” 

 

       The first inning was over just as quickly as it started, no runs scoring. But Nicole was too busy giddily explaining more of the game mechanics to the brunette to care. And Waverly loved hearing her talk about it, so she didn’t mind. 

       “Why’s it called a ball?” 

       “I dunno,” she shrugged. 

       “Ok. But why do they throw them then if it could send them to first?”

       “Cause when you’re the batter, sometimes it’s hard to tell if it’s gonna be a ball or a strike. Like a changeup? That thing will come at you like a fastball and disappear into the dirt like  _ that _ . And you’ll swing at it cause you don’t _ expect _ it to drop. I even remember missing some of them catching, they go so fast.” 

       “And it’s all on how you hold it?” 

       She nodded, leaning down and grabbing her root beer bottle, using the bottom of it as a reference. “So this is a four-seam, right?” She curled her fingers around it like she had taught Waverly, for that was the only pitch she did when they were screwing around at the training facility on occasion. The smaller girl nodded. “Well,  _ this _ . . .” She moved her pinky to the underside of the bottle and slid her ring finger up closer to the top, spacing it about an inch from her middle that was directly on the top. She curled her pointer finger to make a half a circle, touching the tip of it to her thumb, which was in the same position as her pinky, but on the opposite side. “Is a changeup.” 

       She furrowed her brows at it before looking back up at her. “That’s weird.” 

       “Right?” She looked up at the crack of a bat, seeing that one of the Astros hit a hard foul. “During my Senior year, we played this kid that threw a  _ nasty _ splitter. It looks kinda similar to a changeup, but his was  _ fast _ .” She began to position her fingers on the bottle, but stopped, feeling something hit her shoulder. She turned her head, seeing a bottle cap sitting on the concrete behind her. “The hell?-” She looked up, trying to figure out who threw it, but her eyes landed on a familiar face. “Do you  _ want _ me to beat your ass?” She asked, unsuccessfully hiding a smile. 

       “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” 

       Waverly turned her head, seeing a fit guy with a wicked smirk sitting two rows above them. He had a jet black undercut pompadour with a well-kept short beard. His eyes were piercing grey and face was fit to be a model. Her eyes widened a bit because, yea, he was  _ pretty  _ hot. 

       “Oh, you know I would,” she replied, wiggling her eyebrows. The brunette continued to blink confusedly between them.

       He let out a laugh, standing and plopping down in the chair a row down where no one seemed to be sitting. “Where’ve you been, Paisan?” Waverly thought she had heard some Italian in his accent, and that slang proved her right. 

       “Up in Eskimo Land, aye. D’you stick around here?” 

       “Kinda? The Marines send me everywhere, but I’m on leave right now. Joined right after I graduated.” 

       “Look at  _ you _ ,” Nicole teased, swatting at his leg, but the band on his finger caught her eye. “You find your Juliet?” She questioned with a smirk. He threw her a hard glare but turned his head. 

       “Romeo, come help me!” A man whined from the top of the stairs. 

       She let out a sigh, pushing himself up from the seat. “Be right back.” He climbed the stairs towards him, helping him with the armful of food. 

       “Is his name  _ actually _ Romeo?” Waverly questioned with raised brows. 

       Nicole nodded with a grin. “And guess how much shit I’ve given him about it.” Oh, she could only imagine. 

       Romeo and the other man returned, sticking with the seats one row back from them, seeing that no one was there anyway. The other one was tall, but skinny. The top of his head was dyed metallic purple over the otherwise brown hair that was tapered on the sides. He had round brown glasses with a shaved face and a sharp jaw. 

       “ _ Oh my God _ , I  _ love _ your nails!” Waverly gasped, taking his hands in her own and looking at the red, white, and blue marble design on them. 

       “I  _ know _ ! They’re so cute, I love them!” He squealed, looking up at her with a binding smile. “I still have  _ no idea _ who you people are.” He glanced between her and the redhead.

       “I’m Nicole, that’s Waverly. I went to high school with his bitch ass,” she informed with a smile, pointing at Romeo. 

       He did a long nod in understanding. “I’m Rory; Bitch Ass’ husband.” 

       “When did y’all get married?” Nicole asked Romeo as Waverly gushed over the band on his finger that matched his. 

       “New Year’s Day this year,” he smiled. Nicole awed. 

       Rory lifted the brunette’s hand, mouth hanging open as he saw her ring. “ _ Girl _ .” 

       She looked up at him with a smirk. “ _ Mhm _ .” 

       “ _ You _ keep her.” 

       “I plan to as long as she  _ stops whispering about me while I’m right next to her _ .” She threw the redhead a glare and she pulled her head back from next to the Italian’s face. 

       “I’m just telling him how amazing you are, Love,” she said with a dimpled smile. 

       “You're really pushing it today," she warned. 

       Nicole gave her an apologetic pout, cupping her cheek and pushing a kiss to the opposite. She paused, though, staying near her ear. "Just think about this mornin', ‘n you'll forgive me," she husked in a whisper. Waverly bared her teeth with a cursed insult, smacking her arm. 

       The guys laughed at that. "So when are y'all making it official?" Romeo asked. 

       “We’re not sure yet,” Nicole sighed, leaning her head on her arm as she looked over to the brunette. “We’re thinking next year sometime. We  _ do _ know it’s going to be at the house where she grew up and that it’s not gonna be a big fancy thing, though.” 

       “Aw,” Rory cooed. “See, I wanted something small, but  _ someone _ wanted to go all out.” 

       “We got married in  _ Hawaii _ , are you  _ really  _ complaining?” He questioned with a laugh. 

       “. . .  _ No _ .” 

       “Mm, didn’t think so,” he smirked, squeezing his thigh. 

       Waverly’s eyes widened, looking towards the redhead. “No.” She gave her a pout. “ _ Homestead _ . We don’t want everyone around during our honeymoon, do we?” Her face relaxed almost  _ too _ quickly, realizing that was a good point. Nicole looked back towards them. “Why Hawaii, though?” 

       “I guess it’s a theme, really,” Romeo admitted. “We met at a pool about 5 years ago; he was a lifeguard and I was there with some friends. Then I proposed in front of a waterfall two years ago, so we decided to take it all the way for the wedding and head to Oahu.” Waverly gave him a happy pout. 

       “What about y’all?” Rory asked. “What’s your magic fairytale?” 

       “She pulled me over last year cause she was  _ bored _ and we got together three days later,” she said with a little shrug. 

       “First of all, your tail light  _ was _ out-”

       “No,  _ first of all _ ,” Romeo interrupted. “You’re a  _ cop _ ?!” 

       “Yep-” “ _ Sheriff _ ,” Waverly corrected over her, throwing her a look. She made a face, putting her hands up. 

       “And what’re you?” He questioned. 

       “Bartender-” “ _ A _ college student working on her  _ Bachelor of Education _ ,” Nicole cut, mocking her previous glare. 

       They both nodded slowly at the two, enjoying their casual banter. “I remember you wanting to be a cop, but I didn’t think you’d . . . actually do it,” the Italian mumbled. 

       “And why is that?” The redhead questioned with a raised eyebrow. 

       “You weren’t a very law-abiding citizen, Haught.” 

       “You were worse than me, but ended up as a Leatherneck. What’s your point?” 

       He blinked at her for a second before nodding. “Fair.” 

       “Ok, now here’s the real question,” Waverly started, looking between Nicole and Romeo. “How did  _ you two _ cross paths?” 

       Their eyes widened, both mouths falling open. “ _ Uhh _ .” Waverly and Rory cocked an eyebrow at them. “Baseball.” “A football game.” 

       Nicole’s head snapped towards him and she smacked his leg. “ _ Baseball _ .” 

       “Baseball,” he confirmed with a quick nod. 

       “Y’all sure about that?” Rory questioned slowly. 

       Nicole looked towards him from the silent eye conversation they were having. “Mhm! Right, Shakespeare?” 

       “ _ Correct _ .”

       Waverly and Rory looked towards each other again, squinting at one another as they tried to figure out why they were  _ seeming to be  _ hiding something. They both suddenly gasped, though, looking towards their partners. “ _ Wait a minute _ . . .” 

       “ _ No _ ,” they said with wider eyes, shaking their heads almost in warning, having predicted their prediction. 

       Waverly broke first with a snort, clapping her hand over her mouth. Rory was soon behind, resting his hands on his knees as he laughed hysterically. “I really hope you’re laughing at what I’m laughing at,” he wheezed. 

       She tried to speak, but couldn’t for a few seconds. “ _ Oh my God _ , they slept together!” 

       Loud, pained groans came from the duo as they sunk down in their chairs and covered their beet-red faces, Nicole with the top of her jersey and Romeo with his hands, only  _ furthering  _ their suspicions to a level of certainty. 

       The two calmed their giggles after a few seconds, moving to console their partners. Waverly ran her thumb across Nicole’s hand as she gently coaxed it away. “Baby.” The redhead let her eyes peek out the top, looking at her with a glare. “I’m sorry. We’re done laughing at you two.” 

       "I'm sure you are," she grumbled, folding her arms over her chest. 

       Waverly pouted at her, hooking her finger on her chin and pulling her into a gentle kiss. She smiled, feeling the redhead relax into it. She pulled away, pushing their foreheads together and rubbing her cheeks. "Just saying. If he was straight, I'd use a hall pass on him," she winked with a pat. 

       Nicole shoved her back with a scoff to hide her laugh and was about to say something along the same lines that would have most definitely gotten her in trouble, but Beltré decided to send a ball far over the left fielder's head, saving her life. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The Rangers ended up sweeping the Astros and Nicole was over the moon. Waverly not so much. She had gotten used to baseball Nicole in the comfort of their own home when she watched the games on TV. But  _ live  _ baseball Nicole was  _ that _ times 5 million. She only tolerated the redhead’s insanity because the De Luca’s had attended the other two games, so that meant that her and Rory could watch their partners embarrass themselves at a safe distance, pretending as if they had no idea who the face-painted, screaming maniacs were. 

       To celebrate the win, and, more so, Nicole’s return to the Lone Star State, Rory and Romeo decided to invite them over for dinner the next evening. And thanks to Waverly’s suggestion, Joseph and Luke were soon after invited to make it a proper Big Gay Dinner. 

       Nicole and Waverly had been put in charge of wine, so after getting dressed in the fancy clothes they had packed just in case some event, such as this, came up, they were off to the Walmart that was close by their house.

       "Question,” Waverly proposed, turning down the radio a bit. 

       “Shoot.” Her thumb continued to tap in beat with the who-the-hell-ever band’s now-quiet music. 

       “Is  _ everyone  _ here gay?” She asked, tipping her head at her. “Cause I feel like you haven’t introduced me to  _ one  _ straight person.”

       The Sheriff let out a little laugh. “What about Coach Carters?” 

       “Ok.  _ Besides _ him.” 

       She gave her a little shrug. “To make it fair, you’ve met  _ three  _ people I’ve previously known, and I only knew  _ one  _ of them was gay before coming here.” She pulled into the lot, finding a spot to park. 

       “. . .  _ Still _ .”   


       “You know what they say . . .” She got out of the car, waiting for her at the front. “Everythin’s gayer in Texas.”

       “Absolutely  _ no one  _ said that,” she laughed, rolling her eyes as they walked inside. 

       “ _ I _ did,” the redhead said with a smile.

       Waverly sighed, pushing her along towards the section of liquor which was all the way on the other side of the store to their luck. “What kind did they want us to get?” The brunette asked as they moseyed on down. 

       “Well, Rory doesn’t like white, but Joe doesn’t like red, so I guess we’re getting both,” Nicole shrugged. 

       She nodded as they turned down the aisle, seeing a rather large selection. “Any brand preferences, Dear?”

       “Darlin’, you haven’t had the  _ luxury _ of Texas wine,” she drawled as they walked down a little. 

       “Is that so?” 

       “No, not really,” she snorted as Waverly leaned forward onto their cart when they stopped. The redhead walked towards the shelf, reaching up to grab a bottle of red. 

       But she stopped mid-grab. 

       Her head jerked right, mouth coming slightly as she looked at the woman standing about five feet from her. She saw her sudden movement, turning her head and meeting her eyes, the same look appearing on her face. Waverly’s brow furrowed as she watched the interaction between the two, having no idea who the woman with dirty blonde curly hair, seeming to be in her late 30s-early 40s, was. 

       Her face relaxed first and she turned her body towards her. “Nicole.” Waverly watched her fiancée’s posture stiffen at her name as she turned a bit, dropping her arms to her sides with her fists tightly clenched. “I been hearin’ you'ere back in town.” She took a step towards her with a smile as she looked her up and down. 

       Nicole stepped back from her just as fast. “ _ Touch me _ ‘n I’ll talk,” she warned, staring at her with hard eyes.

       The smaller girl hadn’t expected to see that much fear flash onto the blonde’s face, but it did. 

       “You wouldn’t,” she said with a shake of her head. 

       “Try me.” 

       Her face shifted from fear to anger. “Like you’d risk  _ all you have _ for some  _ stupid- _ ” 

       “ _ Walk _ ,” she ordered, pointing in the direction opposite from Waverly. The woman looked towards the brunette for a blink before complying. Nicole walked over to her, pulling her wallet out, not once looking into her eyes. “Get two of each and get in the car.” She pushed some money in her hand, turning away. 

       “Nic,” she said softly with concern. 

       “ _ Go _ , Waverly,” she said without a second glance as she headed for the woman standing at the end of the aisle with her arms crossed. The brunette clenched her jaw with a swallow but walked towards where Nicole had been standing, grabbing two of that bottle and two white from the same brand before trudging towards checkout. 

       She shoved the bags in the trunk before getting in the driver’s side, running her hands worriedly down her cheeks. It was rare that she ever saw Nicole act like that with somebody, so what this lady’s part in her life had been was obviously not something she was very fond of. But whatever it was, she needed to find out about it to see if she had a murder to plan. 

 

       The redhead returned a couple of minutes later, sliding in the passenger’s seat and curling her knee to her chest, wrapping her arms around it with a heavy exhale. Waverly looked towards her, seeing how her eyes were fixed out the window. 

       She gently placed her hand on her thigh after a minute. “You ok, Baby?” She asked quietly. 

       “Yep.” 

       She didn’t believe that for  _ one  _ second. “Are you sure?” 

       “Yep.”

       “. . . D’you wanna talk about it?” 

       “Nope.” 

       She pursed her lips. “Nic.” This didn't seem to be something she was going to brush off.

       “ _ What _ , Waverly?” The Sheriff huffed, still not looking at her.

       The smaller girl pulled her hand away, angling her body towards her. “You know I’m trying to help you, right?” 

       “Was I not clear the _ two times _ I told you I was fine?” 

       “Can you at least  _ look  _ at me when I talk to you?” She asked, raising her eyebrows as her patience slowly tapered. 

       She put her foot on the floorboard, turning towards her and throwing her arms out. “Is this better for you?” 

       She closed her eyes, shaking her head as she pulled in a breath. “ _ Nicole _ ,” she warned, opening them. “Don’t be like that.” 

       She swallowed an eye roll as she turned back forward. “Can we just go? We’re gonna be late.” 

       “We’re not going anywhere until you explain to me what just happened.” 

       She grit her teeth. “Well, I guess we’re not going  _ fuckin’  _ anywhere!” She unbuckled, climbing out of the car and slamming the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did somebody say angst?


	74. Don't Tell Me You Wouldn't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole  
> What'd you do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y yo oop

       Waverly was out of the car right after her, catching her arm as she tried to stomp away. “Get in the damn car and stop being a  _ child _ ,” she snapped when she turned to face her. 

       The redhead let out a small laugh. “I’m the one being a child?” 

       “Yes, Nicole,  _ you are _ .” 

       “That’s funny coming from the one upset with me for  _ hiding a secret _ ,” she retorted, waving her hands. 

       “Get in the car!” 

       “No!”

       Waverly dropped her voice, speaking through her teeth. “There is a cop watching us two rows over and up a bit. Get in the  _ fucking  _ car before he decides to come talk to us.” Nicole pursed her lips with a sigh, heading back towards the vehicle and climbing in. Waverly sat down, pulling her door shut. “ _ You  _ said  _ or I’ll talk _ . That means you did some illegal shit that you don’t want anyone to find out about. This isn’t some  _ secret _ , Nicole, you are a  _ Sheriff _ !”

       She crossed her arms, running her tongue along her teeth and tapping her foot as she looked out her window. “I’m not gonna talk about anything, so you mise well just drop it,” she mumbled. 

       Waverly stared at her, letting out a slow breath and leaning her head on her fist, looking out the windshield. “. . . Does Jeremy know?” 

       “ _ No one _ knows. And I’d like to keep it that way.” 

       The brunette’s eyes widened a bit. She knew Nicole had always told Jeremy  _ everything _ . And everything meant  _ literally _ everything. So the fact that he didn’t know about this scared her. “I don’t like this.” 

       Her head turned towards her. “Then drop it! You’re not entitled to know every single fucking detail of my life!” 

       “It’s not about that, Nicole! I know that!” 

       “Then what? Why are you  _ so  _ damn concerned about it?!” 

       She gripped her hand around the console as she turned a bit towards her. “I have  _ never _ seen you look so  _ fucking _ uncomfortable around somebody before. And you are  _ not _ someone to  _ be _ uncomfortable around anybody because you  _ literally  _ deal with drunks and murderers  _ for a living _ . So I’m sorry that I am  _ concerned _ , Nicole, but you putting your walls up like you used to only makes me ten million times  _ more fucking concerned  _ about it!” 

       Nicole stared out the window in silence for a few seconds. “No.”

       “No, what?” 

       “I’m not talking about it." 

       She figured that since her voice had gotten quiet, they were done arguing. "What are you so afraid of, Nic?" The redhead turned her head towards her with her jaw tightly clenched. Waverly's eyes softened and she cupped her hand over her's. "Baby." 

       "You're gonna hate me." 

       "I'm  _ not  _ gonna hate you." 

       "Yes you are." She pulled her foot back onto the seat and covered her face with one hand. 

       The brunette tugged it away. "Stop. I'd never hate you." 

       Nicole was quiet for a minute as she racked over her options. This was the last thing she wanted to deal with while they were here, but she knew she had to seeing that it had come about. "Ok." She rubbed her hand on her face, pushing her forehead to her knee and closing her eyes. "The lady?" 

       "Yea?"

       "She was my math teacher for my sophomore, junior, and senior year.”

       Waverly cocked an eyebrow slightly, but went with it. “. . . Ok.” 

       “I took algebra 2 10th grade, trig 11th, and pre-calc and calc 12th.” 

       “. . . Yea.” 

       She lifted her head slightly. “Small problem, though.” 

       “What?” 

       “I never took a math final my last two years.”

       The smaller girl tipped her head. “Were they not mandatory here?” 

       “No. They were.” 

       She sat back a bit, brows furrowed. “I’m lost now.” 

       Nicole slowly slouched back in her chair, crossing her arms. “I don’t know if you’ve realized, but I’m scary good at math. Always have been. It just came naturally.” 

       “Wynonna calls you a human calculator.”

       “Uh-huh. And the thing about being in high school is that you’re lazy, right?” Waverly nodded. “And you know I don’t like doing things I don’t want to do.” 

       “Mhm.” 

       “And that’s why I hated math. Because I’d learn it and understand it while everyone else needed a couple days. And then homework? Couldn’t stand it. You just did the same thing over and over.” 

       “That’s  _ kinda  _ the point . . .-” She stopped when Nicole threw her a look. 

       “Mrs. Summers obviously noticed it my sophomore year- she was fresh out of college and that was her first year teaching. I got hundreds on almost everything and if I didn’t, the amount of extra credit from bonuses on quizzes and tests made up for it. She ended up getting her schedule changed around the next year, so I had her for trig.” She shifted a bit in her seat. “I . . . was still pretty fucked up at that point from everything the year prior. I had no motivation for  _ anything  _ besides sports. I only did the bare minimum for my classes to keep high A’s cause Aunt Liz got on my ass when I started slacking. But something about math was particularly hard for me to want to do. So . . . I went to her during my study hall about a month after school started, which happened to be her prep hour, complaining that I didn’t wanna do my homework from that day. I asked her if there was any way I could get out of it, and . . .” She looked timidly up to Waverly, and judging by the look on her face, she had put the rest of the pieces in place. 

       She didn’t look angry, which she was thankful for. But she wasn’t smiling either. She still looked concerned, but now there was a layer of slight fear hiding underneath it. 

       Nicole swallowed, pulling her other knee up onto the seat and wrapping both arms around it. Her voice was noticeably quieter when she started again, “It was nothing at first. She told the office I was her aid, so I switched out of study hall to her room. And . . . we’d make out and she’d give me a hundred for the homework every night. But after a month or so . . . hands wandered more than usual and I was getting hundreds on quizzes and tests, too. When December rolled around, I had to douse myself in body spray to get her smell off me before I went to History.”

       She looked to Waverly again, seeing the pain in her eyes. “Baby . . . You were  _ 16 _ .” 

       “I  _ know  _ it was wrong, Wave. I mean, she had a husband  _ and _ a one-year-old-”

       “No.  _ She _ was wrong. She took  _ advantage  _ of you-” 

       Nicole shook her head. “I knew  _ exactly _ what I was doing.”

       "That doesn’t mean anyt-” 

       “It was just as much me as it was her. And she made sure that I was ok with it. Yea, I was underage, but it’s not like she was . . .- It wasn’t like that. I was lazy, so I helped her out and she helped me out.” 

       “Nicole, if it were  _ me _ and  _ I _ was telling you this, you’d already have a shotgun loaded with bullets labeled  _ rapist _ , don’t  _ tell  _ me you wouldn’t.” 

       Her face twinged at the word and she sunk farther in the seat, knowing from a law standpoint it was true. “It wasn’t _ every day _ . I would help her grade papers and stuff some days. Same when senior year rolled around. Maybe she got her schedule switched around for a third time on purpose and maybe she had gotten me put in her class on purpose, I dunno, but I had her again . . . And before I knew it, it was the same thing all over again.” She rubbed her hands down her cheeks. “When I turned 18, it got to a point where she was buying me alcohol, but then I realized she was doing that to try and convince me to meet her outside of school. I don’t think she understood that I was literally counting down the  _ hours  _ until I was able to get the fuck out of this state, so I turned her down every time she asked. I didn’t  _ want  _ anything with her. I just wanted to skip out of math. But she wanted more than just an at-school fuck . . . I promised her I’d meet her if she faked my last final for me. But I never did. I graduated and then I was gone.” She shook her head, pushing her face to her knees. “I’m disgusting.” 

       Waverly lifted her head up, turning it towards her. “It’s not your fault.” 

       “Yes it is!” She retorted. 

       “You said it yourself. You were still broken. And she used it to her advantage.” 

       Nicole shook her head. “I  _ let  _ it happen, Waverly. She didn’t  _ use _ me.” 

       “Who proposed it? You or her?” She questioned. 

       The redhead took a second, thinking back. She swallowed when she remembered, looking down a bit. “Her,” she mumbled. 

       “And you were uncomfortable at first, weren’t you?” 

       “Yea . . .” 

       Waverly let out a sigh, pushing her door open and walking around to her side, opening her door and coaxing her out. The redhead took her hand, climbing out of the car. “Look at me.” She tipped her head up, holding it there with each of her hands on her cheeks. “I don’t care how many times you say it, this is  _ not _ your fault. You were unstable and she  _ knew  _ it, and I’m sure they were still messing with your meds at this point, trying to get a good prescription, weren’t they?” She nodded slowly. “Maybe you  _ did  _ have a say on what was going on, but  _ she  _ was the one at fault here, not you. Do you understand me?” 

       “Yea,” she said, barely above a whisper. 

       Waverly swallowed. “And . . .” She dropped her hands, pushing one through her hair. “Baby, you can let this go. You need to tell someone, she could still be doing this to other kids.” 

       Her eyes widened and she quickly shook her head. “She’s not.” 

       “You don’t know that.” 

       “No. She told me. I was the only one.” 

       “She was probably  _ lying _ , Nic.”

       “She wasn’t. I kinda threatened her and she told me she hadn’t.” 

       The brunette sighed, “Still. This is serious, Baby. She can’t just live life like it didn’t happen.” 

       Nicole swallowed, “You heard her. If I talk, I’ll lose everything.”

       “No, you won’t.”

       “Baby, my name was  _ all  _ around the country my senior year- I know you’ve looked me up before. And colleges  _ still _ know who I am. I did interviews and shit for ESPN ‘n MLB News wrote a couple of articles on me. If I press charges, it’ll be picked up around here and then someone’s gonna recognize my name in another state and bring it to  _ their  _ news, and it’ll just keep spreading. Sooner or later, someone above me’s gonna hear about it, seeing how I cheated my way through high school, and I’m gonna get fired . . . Not to mention how I’ll lose every ounce of respect around here. They’ll rip  _ all  _ my signs down at the school . . . It’s just not worth it. It’s over and done with.” 

       Waverly clenched her jaw slightly as Nicole looked down, seeming to be shaking her head at herself. She pulled her into a hug, slowly rubbing her hand up and down her back as she bunched the back of her dress up in her hands, letting out a shaky breath into her shoulder. 

       She pulled away after a minute, letting out a raspberry. “Ok . . . I’m good now.”

       “You sure?” 

       “I’m sure,” she confirmed, giving her hand a squeeze.

       “If you say so.” Waverly leaned up and pressed a kiss to her lips. “You drive. I have no idea where I am.” Nicole let out a little laugh, shaking her head at her as she turned and walked around to the other side. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “Why do we do this to ourselves?” Waverly mumbled, rubbing her temples as she leaned back in her seat. 

       “Shh.” Nicole adjusted the sunglasses on her face, trying to tune out the loud noise of the plane. 

       It had happened again. They had gone out the night before their flight and gotten wasted. But instead of a yacht club party, it had been a gay bar. So on top of the stench of very fruity cocktails, they were covered in glitter from head to toe. 

       “We’re gonna sleep. And in four hours, we’ll be able to sleep while Gus drives us home. Where we can sleep some more,” Nicole slurred, knowing she was in that grey area between drunk and hangover where you’re feeling the pain, but also that numbness.

       The brunette had already hit hangover a few hours ago, so anything relating to closing her eyes sounded good. 

 

       The couple trudged through baggage claim and customs like zombies, finally being greeted by Gus’ smiling face. Her brow slowly furrowed, though, as they got closer, seeing just how messed up they were. “I’d take it y’all had a good time?” She asked, crossing her arms and holding down a laugh when they stopped in front of her. 

       “Yea,” they mumbled. 

       She shook her head, pushing off the railing she was leaning back on. “Alright. Let’s get you two home.” They walked out of the airport and headed towards the car, climbing in and passing out on top one another within 10 minutes of the drive. 

       Gus dropped them directly at their house, helping them lug their bags in. And with a quick text to Nedley that Waverly’d be over the following morning to get the cats, they were out again, both somehow on the wrong end of the bed. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

_        BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP _ !

       Nicole lifted her head from the bed, eyes blinking open for the first time since midday the previous date. She let out a grunt, flipping over and digging her phone out of her pocket to shut her alarm off. 

       “Mm.” 

       She turned her head, seeing Waverly rubbing her face as she untangled her legs from the blanket. “Mm.” 

       “‘Time is it?” She mumbled groggily. 

       “7:30.” 

       “Mm.” She rolled over and fit herself into her side, throwing her arm across her middle.

       “You feeling ok?” The redhead questioned, pushing a kiss to her forehead. 

       “Yea. You?” 

       “Better than I thought I would,” she admitted. 

       “Tha’s good,” she sighed, closing her eyes again. 

       “Mm-mnm. I gotta get ready.” She wiggled out from under Waverly’s arm, rolling off the bed. 

       “Nooo,” she whined, looking up at her with puppy dog eyes. “5 more minutes.” Nicole gave her a look, tipping her head. “Pwease?” 

       She pursed her lips before letting out a sigh, climbing back on the bed and pulling her into her arms when she laid down. “5 minutes. That’s it.” 

       “Mm.” A smile dusted her features as she snuggled into her front. 

       Nicole waited about six minutes for the smaller one to fall asleep before slowly moving her off of her, gathering her uniform and heading to the bathroom to shower. 

       When she got out, she found her in the living room curled up on the couch with a cup of coffee in one hand and her kindle in the other. She tugged her boots on and clipped her utility belt on before grabbing an orange. She walked over to her, leaning her arms on the back of the couch as she peeled it. “Whatcha readin’?” 

       “Unbroken,” she answered, taking the orange slice she offered her. 

       “What’s that?” 

       “World War II story about this Olympic runner from the US who enlisted after the war broke out, but his bomber plane crashed in the Pacific. He survived by a miracle and was stranded in the middle of the ocean until the Japanese found him over a month later and took him to a POW camp . . . That’s about where I’m at.” She gave a little shrug. “It’s good so far.”

       “Is it a true story?” 

       “Yep.” 

       She did a slow nod. “Hmm. Sounds cool.” 

       “I think there’s a movie on it now.” 

       “And we’re gonna watch it when you’re done?” 

       “Of course we are.” 

       Nicole chuckled with a smile. That was a usual occurrence. Waverly would read something and see there was a movie for it and then they would watch it and she’d complain about how the book was so much better the whole time. 

       The redhead walked around and sat next to her, tipping her head up into a kiss. “I love you.” 

       Waverly cupped her face, bringing her in again. “I love you, too.” 

       “D’you just plan on staying here until your shift after you get the kids?” 

       She rolled her eyes at her, for she always called the cats that. “I might go see Wy and Alice later, I dunno. I’ve got a couple of papers due next week, too, so I might get a jumpstart on that.” 

       Nicole nodded, pressing one last kiss to her lips and squeezing her thigh as she stood. “I’ll bring you some lunch if you’re here, or everybody some if you’re there.” 

       “Such a kind Sheriff,” she grinned as Nicole headed for the door. 

       “Oh, you know I am,” she smirked, throwing her a wink before pulling it closed behind her.

       She knew Waverly would end up getting wrapped up in her school work and not have enough time to run by the Homestead, so her offer was merely to sound nice. She, though, didn’t have to be at work until 9 and it wasn’t even 8:30, so she decided she’d go pay Wynonna a visit. She hadn’t seen her or her niece since they had left, after all. 

       She pulled up the bumpy drive and parked her cruiser, climbing out and walking inside. She first spotted Doc on the couch, playing with Alice, and she could hear Wynonna talking in the kitchen. She smiled at him, but his face looking up at her seemed to not be as welcoming. He was shaking his head with wide eyes, flicking his eyes towards in the direction of the older Earp. 

       Nicole gently closed the door. “What?” She asked in a whisper, walking over. 

       “I’d advise you greatly to not walk in that kitchen,” he warned. 

       “Why not?” She lifted up Alice with a smile when Doc offered her up, peppering her face with kisses as the baby made excited screeching noises. “Hi, Honey!- Woah, you got big!” 

       “Well. It seems that-”

       “ _ Dimples _ !” 

       Nicole looked up, seeing that Wynonna had noticed she had arrived. “Earp!”

       The brunette called her over with her hand, so she walked in after giving the gunslinger a nervous glance, seeing that the wall had been shielding who she had been talking to. She had figured it was Gus, but the woman sitting at the table was certainly not her. She pulled her tie out of Alice’s hand, giving her a smile. 

       The woman quickly rose from her seat, taking a step towards her. She furrowed her brows as she got right in her bubble, pushing her finger against the nametag on her uniform. “Uhm-” 

       She looked towards Wynonna for a beat as she walked over and took Alice, but they were immediately back on the redhead. Her eyes squinted and Nicole stared back at her in utter confusion. 

       “You’re Sheriff Haught?” She questioned. 

       “I am,” she confirmed with a nod. 

       “And you’re planning to marry my daughter?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh


	75. You're Still in Ass-Beating Range

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> M  
> A  
> M  
> A

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait for this one  
> I blame it entirely on GaySolace and her beautiful mind
> 
> No, but really. Writer's Block is a bitch  
> GaySolace is also a bitch, but that's irrelevant

       Nicole’s mouth opened, eyes widening. She glanced over to Wynonna for a second before meeting her eyes again. “W-What?” 

       “You heard me.” 

       “You’re . . . Michelle?” 

       She blinked at her for a second. “You’re pretty dumb to be a Sheriff.” 

       “ _ Mama _ ,” Wynonna grumbled. 

       She pursed her lips before letting out a sigh. “ _ Yes _ , I’m Michelle.” It had seemed that Wynonna had  _ mentioned  _ that Waverly was dating the Sheriff, but had not gone into any more detail than that. And it most likely meant that the woman had expected a man.

       Nicole let out a breath, pulling herself together. “Uh . . . Yea. Waves and I are engaged. And I would  _ highly _ suggest for you to be ok with that.” 

       “Oh yea?” She took yet another step closer to her, looking right up at her now. She was Waverly’s height, so Nicole towered over her, but that woman could make it seem as if she was 8 feet tall. “ _ Why’s that _ ?” She asked lowly, eyes alit with flame. 

       “Cause I’d be  _ more  _ than happy to send your ass high tailin’ back to  _ wherever  _ you’ve been for the past  _ 15 plus years _ , and I’m sure Waverly’d rather have no mother at all than one who shames her for who she is.” Michelle kept her eyes locked on the redhead’s, Wynonna watching in horror as the two stood in silence. 

       Her mother finally broke it, taking a step back with a smile. “And you passed with flying colors,” she breathed out, almost in relief. 

       Nicole grinned proudly, having caught onto her game beforehand. “I aim to please.” She turned her head, feeling Alice’s hand flapping against her arm. She took her back from Wynonna, beaming down at her. “What?” She cooed. “You love watching me make a good first impression, yes, I know!” She looked back up at the duo. “So can you fill me in on what we  _ missed _ while we were in Dallas, Wynonna?” She asked with a very questioning brow. 

       The brunette gave her a toothy smile, walking over and pulling a chair out for her. She threw her a glare as she sat in it, laying Alice down on her thighs as she stretched her legs out on the chair beside her. She turned her head, pushing the button on her radio. “Pearson, come in.” 

       “What’s up, Sheriff?”

       “I’m gonna be late. Make sure everyone’s doing what they’re supposed to.” 

       “And by that you mean tell Schmitt to stop watching Duck Dynasty on his computer?” 

       She rolled her eyes. “Exactly. Thank you.”

       “No problem.”  

       She let go of it, pulling her phone out of her pocket and pressing it to her ear. “I’m calling Waves. She’s gonna be here if I’m gonna be here.” Wynonna looked nervous, but she gave her a slow nod. 

       “Miss me already?” The brunette answered. 

       She rolled her eyes with a smile, running her hand up the baby's stomach. “Obviously.”

       Waverly giggled, “What’s up?”

       “Uhm, can you head up to the Homestead. Like, right now?” 

       “Why?” She asked slowly. 

       “Just . . . You’ll know when you get here.” 

       “Wait, you’re there? Why?” 

       “ _ Babe _ ,” she breathed out beggingly. 

       “Right, yea, sorry. I’ll be there in a bit.” 

       "Mk, see you." 

       "Bye, love you." 

       "Love you, too." She ended the call, setting her phone on the table. "Now we wait." 

       "Well, while we wait . . ." Michelle started. "When'd my Waverly realize she was a lady lover." 

       "Well . . ." 

       Wynonna cut her off. "After her ex-asshole of a boyfriend tried to rape her." Her mother's eyes went wide. 

       "That wasn't why, Wynonna," Nicole grumbled, throwing her a hard glare. 

       "Well it wasn't  _ too  _ long-"

       "I'm sorry,  _ what _ ?!" Michelle demanded, cutting her off in need of a further explanation. 

       The redhead pursed her lips, lifting Alice into her arms, seeing that her voice had startled her. "Last year, she’d been with this guy since high school. She ended it cause he was . . . a  _ dickhead _ , but he ended up getting drunk later that night and forcing her into a stall at Shorty's, making an attempt to . . .  _ yea _ ." 

       "But he didn't actually . . ." 

       "No," Wynonna assured with a shake of her head. "Slicky Nicky, here, coldcocked him with a beer bottle before he could.” 

       “Don’t call me that . . .  _ ever _ ,” she said with a grimace. 

       Mama continued to blink between the two women. “So  _ who _ is this man and where can I  _ find _ him?"

       “Champ Hardy. And he’s in prison cause she wasn’t the only one he did it to,” Nicole answered, glad of the fact. 

       “She dated a  _ Hardy _ ?!” 

       “ _ Small town, limited dating options _ ,” Wynonna and Nicole both mimicked in their best Waverly impression at the same time. They looked towards each other with small smirks. 

       “That’s no excuse to date a  _ damn  _ Hardy,” she grumbled. 

       “You’ve got that right,” the brunette muttered. 

  


       It was only a few minutes later that Nicole heard a car door shut. She stood and handed Alice over to Wynonna before walking over to the door, opening it just as Waverly was about to, making her jump a bit. “ _ Jeez _ ,” she breathed with a laugh, placing her hand over her heart. 

       Nicole smiled an apology as she let her in. “There’s more where that came from,” she sighed, guiding her towards the kitchen with her hand on the small of her back. 

       “What do you mean?” She questioned, furrowing her brows after giving Doc a smile. Nicole decided to let her figure it out herself, keeping her hand on her as they passed the shielding wall in the kitchen, knowing her tendency of blacking out from shock. Waverly saw Wynonna first and gave Alice a little wave, but then her eyes caught the other woman. 

       She turned towards her, mouth coming open slightly as if she was staring at a ghost. She swayed back a step and the redhead slid her hands to her waist as she leaned slightly back into her. She rubbed her thumbs gently on her hip bones as Michelle stood up, taking her first look at her grown daughter. “You ok?” Nicole whispered gently. She nodded her head, so she coaxed her to stand on her own, giving her hip a squeeze before walking around the table and taking a seat. 

       Waverly wasn’t sure if her first impression of her, dressed in some sweatpants, one of Nicole’s academy hoodies, and a messy bun, was what she would have particularly wanted. But it’s what she got. She snapped herself out of it, face finally returning to normal besides her jaw opening and closing a few times in an attempt to say something. The ball of emotions worked it's way up her throat, sending tears to her eyes. “. . .  _ Mama _ .” 

       Michelle took a few more steps towards her, reaching out and running her hands down her arms. “I’m back, Angel.” Those three words made her lose it. She immediately threw her arms around her shoulders, burying her face into her neck and her mother somehow hugged her back even tighter. 

       The older one pulled back after a minute, cupping her face and wiping her tears with her thumbs. She let out a happy sigh. “Well . . . Your fiancée passed the test. She’s already threatened me.” 

       Waverly’s head snapped towards her. “ _ Nicole _ !” 

       Her eyes went wide and she put her hands up. “I was defending you!” 

       She looked toward her mother with raised eyebrows and she nodded to confirm it. She looked back to Nicole. “You’re lucky,” she said in warning. 

       “The luckiest,” she smiled with a wink. 

       Waverly rolled her eyes with a blush, shaking her head as she looked at her mother. “. . . W-Why? Why now?” 

       Michelle gave her arm one more pat before pulling away. She took a seat where she had been and Waverly sat next to Nicole, taking the baby from Wynonna with a wide smile. “You asked why first, so I’ll answer the why . . . I came back cause I got word I had a new granddaughter.” The brunette smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of the little one’s head. “When? Last night.” 

       “She literally knocked on the damn door  _ right  _ after I had finally gotten her down,” Wynonna grumbled. 

       She gave her a sorry pout. “Where? That story’s a little more complex-"

       "Ya, and my back hurts, so we're moving." Wynonna stood, walking towards the living room. They all blinked at her for a second before following. Nicole sat at the end of the couch opposite to Doc, and with one look from the brunette, she turned sideways, letting her lean back into her. Waverly curled her knees up, holding the baby closer as she started to nod off. Nicole smiled, looking down at her and running her thumb on the brunette's leg, pushing a kiss to her temple when she leaned her head back onto her shoulder. 

       “Uhm . . . You know very well your father was not a nice man. Not to me. Not to you. Not to anyone but his Willa, really.” Waverly nodded in agreement. “And as time passed, it got worse. And I was young and stupid, so I left, telling myself I’d never come back until he was gone . . . So that’s what I did.” Waverly furrowed her brows, knowing that it was barely two years after that he had died. “I ended up on the edge of British Columbia, working on a fishing boat . . . And that’s where I’ve been since . . . No one told me about what happened. No calls, no nothing. It wasn’t until I ran into someone that used to live around here a few weeks back, and he certainly had a lot to say to me. How horrible of a person I was for leaving you three with him. And how it was a blessing of what had happened.”

       “And he told you about Alice?” Waverly asked. 

       She nodded, “Told me almost  _ everything  _ that’s happened with you two over the past almost 18 years . . . How Wynonna was in the nuthouse-” 

       “ _ Yea _ , buddy,” she smirked. The couple rolled their eyes. 

       “How you were valedictorian . . . He  _ did  _ leave off that bit, though.” She circled her finger around, pointing at them. 

       “ _ Shocker _ ,” Nicole mumbled. Waverly tipped her head towards her face, threading her fingers through the gaps on the back of her’s with her free hand. 

       “I promise you, if I would have known, I would have come back earlier. But I didn’t hear anything from anyone. And I had been promised to be kept in the know, but . . . I guess those ties were looser than I thought.” 

       “Who was it?” The younger one questioned. 

       She waved it off. “It doesn’t matter now. What matters is that I’m back, once and for all.” 

       The brunette obviously wasn’t passing over that question as easily as Michelle thought she would. She looked up at Nicole with a swallow before looking back to her mother. “. . . Was it my father?” 

       A quick hush passed over the room and Michelle’s mouth came open slightly. “Wave,” Nicole mumbled quietly after a few seconds, looking down at her with wide eyes. 

       She ignored her, looking back at the older woman. She wasn’t angry. She was just curious. The question had been swirling in the back of her mind for over a year and she was now able to try and get some answers. But Michelle had seemed to be sent into shock by it, probably expecting that to be the  _ last  _ thing to come out of her mouth. 

       "I know I’m not Daddy’s . . . We found out on accident when we ran Willa’s DNA against ours last year.”

       “. . .  _ Angel _ ,” she finally breathed out. “I’m so sorry.” 

       “No.” She shook her head as soon as the words were out of her mouth. “It doesn’t matter to me.” She looked towards her sister. “We’re a family no matter the circumstances.” Wynonna nodded, rubbing her knee from her position next to Doc. “I just . . . kinda wanna know more about that side of me.” 

       Michelle took a few more seconds to let the last minute settle before nodding her head. “And I promise. I will tell you all about him. But I know Nicole has to get to work and I’m a little more interested in what is going on with  _ you  _ at the moment.” 

       "She's right, Baby," the redhead agreed. "Lonnie's gonna set something on fire if I don't get there."

       "Most likely himself?" She questioned as she sat up off of her and gently handed Alice over to John Henry. 

       " _ Yep _ .” Waverly walked her to the door, wrapping her arms around her to force her to stay just a few minutes longer. 

       "Please excuse them while they be gross," Wynonna mumbled. 

       "Earp, you ain't  _ seen  _ gross," Nicole corrected, having heard her. 

       "Uh, yea-huh. I walked in on you two that one time, remember?" 

       "Yea, I know . . . But like I said, you ain't seen gross," she repeated with a wink. 

       Waverly wacked her arm as her face stormed with a blush. " _ Go _ ." She grabbed her face and pushed a hard, chaste kiss to her lips before pushing her back and opening the door, forcing her out it. 

       "I love you!" Nicole laughed as she walked towards her cruiser. 

       "You are still in ass-beating range. I'd floor it if I were you!" 

       The Sheriff smirked as she climbed into the car and Waverly shook her head at her, waiting until she pulled away to close the door. She let out a sigh, leaning back against it. “Well. Now you’ve met my  _ lovely  _ fiancée.” 

       “She seems amazing, Dear,” Michelle smiled as she walked over and sat back down. 

       Waverly gave her a bashful smile. “She is amazing.” 

       “And from Dallas, I hear?” 

       The brunette nodded, “Moved to Calgary after high school, then to here a little over a year ago.” 

       “Why’d she country hop?” 

       Wynonna raised her eyebrows, looking towards her and resting her chin on her fist. “ _Good_ _question_.” 

       Waverly blinked at her sister annoyedly. “ _ Long _ story,” she answered, looking right at her. Mama got the hint, realizing that it was a personal matter, or rather, one that wasn’t to be shared with the older Earp. 

       But, as if on cue, Alice let out a whine from Doc’s arms. “What’s the matter, Darlin’?” He hushed, rocking her a bit. But it didn’t change anything. He looked up to the older brunette. “I feel she’s a bit hungry. She’s due for her next feeding soon if I’m not mistaken?” 

       Wynonna let out a sigh, gently taking her from his arms and standing up. “You are not,” she said, mocking his drawl slightly as she began to walk to the stairs. “You’re gonna suck some titty while I watch Netflix,” she cooed as she went up. Waverly rolled her eyes. 

       Doc stood, giving them a warm smile. “I’ll give you two some privacy.” And with a tip of his hat, he was outside. 

       Michelle waited until she was sure he was out of complete earshot. “ _ Doc Holliday? _ ” She questioned breathlessly. 

       Waverly chuckled a bit. “Sure is.” 

       “W-  _ How _ ?!” 

       “He did some  _ betting with the devil _ ,” she said with air quotes and an accent. “So now he’s immortal . . . And Nonna’s baby daddy.” 

       She leaned her forehead on her hand. “Lord, what has Purgatory come to?” 

       “We’ve got a half-dragon-half-US Marshal, too,” she offered with a smile. 

       Mama blinked at her for a few seconds in disbelief before shaking her head. She stopped, though, squinting her eyes slightly. “. . . Nicole’s not . . . some type of creature, is she?” 

       Waverly’s eyes widened with a laugh. “No!”

       “Hey! Demons could be migrating from Texas now, for all I know!” 

       “I mean, Nic tried to leave most of her demons  _ in  _ Texas, so . . .”

       Michelle furrowed her brows, but just in the short amount of time she spent with her, she could tell Nicole’s soul was a tested one, so hearing that wasn’t too surprising. “Ok . . . Enough about everyone else. I wanna hear about  _ you _ .” 

       The brunette let out a breath, pulling her foot under her knee. “Where should I start?” 

  


**.  .  .**

  


       Nicole typed away at her computer, emailing out the time blocks for the couple of interviews she had over the next week or so. Hiring more deputies was one of the number one things she decided she needed to do when she became Sheriff, but it was easier said than done. No one seemed to have a wanting need to work in Purgatory for some reason. So she had to make her search far and wide throughout Alberta. In her five months, Pearson was the only one that took up the challenge so far, and she had hired him out of pure luck. 

       “Sheriff, come in,” the dispatcher called over the radio. 

       “Go ahead, Lucy.” 

       “. . . We just got a call about a dead body in The Lake.” 

       Nicole sat back in her chair, slowly pushing her hand through her hair. This would be her first call as Sheriff for foul play, if it was. “A dead hunter from Goose season? Or are we talking something else here.” 

       “No, Sheriff . . . This one’s no doubt murder.” 

       She swallowed, standing up and walking around her desk. “Who called it in?” She asked as she walked towards Pearson’s office ( _ her _ old office), signaling for him to come over. He was quickly next to her, listening to what she was hearing. She quickly explained to him the situation before Lucy continued.

       “That’s where we have a problem. The call was quick, straight to the facts and gone. So either the  _ killer  _ called it in or it was a hunter more concerned about getting in trouble for poaching out of season.” 

       Nicole pinched the bridge of her nose. “So you’re telling me that we could be walking  _ through  _ the woods  _ to  _ the lake where a  _ murderer  _ could be staked out?” Pearson widened his eyes at her.

       “Yes . . . That’s exactly what I’m telling you. Though it sounded like he wanted to get out of there quickly . . . So quickly, in fact, that we didn’t get a clear location to which part of the lake the corpse was in.”

       “ _ Fuck _ ,” she muttered. The Lake was easily 300 acres  _ surrounded _ by woods on  _ all  _ sides. She pressed the button. “Should we call in Search and Rescue to help us look?” 

       “I’d say get all hands on deck out there today, and if you can’t find them, then call them tomorrow. It’ll take them a couple of hours to get out here anyways.”

       That was a fair point. Why waste their time if they could find it within an hour or so on their own? She told Pearson to go brief everyone that was there. “Alright . . . Did you at least get a description?” 

       “It’s an older caucasian female with greying-brown hair . . . And he said whatever happened to her was  _ not  _ pretty, that’s all.” 

       She walked back to her office and typed the limited information into the Missing Person’s database, saving the 20 or so hits from the surrounding area to worry about later when they needed a reference. She stood up straight, pressing the button once more. “Ok, Lucy, thank you. I’ll keep you posted.” 

       “Be safe out there, Sheriff.” 

       She sighed as she began to call in all the off-duty officers. They started to file in as she went to grab her yellow safety vest and backpack filled with things they might need for this type of situation. Once everyone was in the loop and ready, she gave a call to Waverly to inform her of the situation, telling her she’d most likely be home late. And after that, they were off towards the lake. The eight of them wouldn’t be able to cover much, especially since Nicole figured it would be safest to go in pairs. But they were determined, nonetheless. 

  


**___**

  


       Waverly and Michelle talked. For hours. Besides the fact that the brunette was giving her the story of her life that she had not been there for, it was almost like they had known each other forever. Conversation was flowing easily between the two and Waverly couldn’t be happier. 

       “It was definitely the best day of my life. Who  _ else  _ gets engaged  _ and _ gets a niece on the same day?” She said with a laugh. 

       “Definitely not a lot of people, I’d say.” 

       “Ali came fast, too. Within two hours of Wy’s water breaking, she was born.”

       Michelle nodded with a heavy sigh, “That’s how I was with you three. You were all late, but when you were ready,  _ oh  _ you were ready.” 

       Waverly giggled but looked towards the door when it opened, seeing Gus come in from her shift at Shorty’s. She turned and closed the door behind her, walking into the house. “Hi, Honey-” She stopped, staring wide-eyed at her sister, who was staring right back at her. “What in the hell?” She breathed out. Waverly's brow furrowed. She had thought Gus would have known she was here by now, considering she had been there since the night before.

       Michelle stood up, taking a few steps towards her. “Gus . . .” 

       But the older one backed away from her as many steps as she took towards her, putting her hand up. “Now you better have an explanation for me, or I swear, Michelle-” 

       “I did what I had to.”

       “Oh, no you did  _ not _ . Anyone with common sense would have fled  _ with  _ the girls, not leave them with  _ that  _ son of a bitch.” 

       “I know, Gus.  _ Trust me _ , I know. And I would have-” 

       “But you didn’t! You left knowing  _ damn well _ he was taking his belt to  _ that one _ every  _ goddamn _ night!” She pointed a heavy finger at the brunette, never breaking eye contact with the woman in front of her. 

       “ _ Gus _ ,” Waverly mumbled, but the two ignored her. 

       “And you don’t think I regret doing what I did?! I was  _ selfish _ . I was  _ stupid _ -” 

       “Damn right, you were! All those girls needed after the attack was their  _ mother _ , but you were  _ long  _ gone! So  _ I  _ had to be their  _ damn  _ mother!  _ I _ had to step up and clean up  _ your  _ mess  _ just like I always do _ !”

       Michelle’s face twisted up. “Oh yea, what a  _ mother  _ you were! Sending my daughter off to an insane asylum? That was  _ real  _ sweet of you!” 

       “ _ Guys _ ,” Waverly said a little louder, but it seemed to be no use. 

       “She shot her own  _ father  _ and blamed it on  _ demons _ , Michelle! She was  _ 14 _ , how was I supposed to believe that!?” 

       “Well maybe if you would have taken your head outta your ass for  _ one second _ , you would’ve-”

       “ _ HEY _ !” Wynonna’s booming voice cut the two off as she stomped down the stairs, face red with anger. The three looked up at her. “Do you mind  _ not _ screaming at each other  _ right  _ after I put the baby to sleep cause I’d  _ really  _ fucking appreciate it!” 

       “Well,  _ Wynonna _ , maybe if I would have gotten a call, telling me my  _ estranged sister  _ had finally decided to come home, we wouldn’t have this problem!” 

       She threw her arms out. “She was here this morning before you left, Gus!” 

       She quickly furrowed her brows, looking between them. “What!?” 

       “I got here last night,” Michelle added. “And slept upstairs.” 

       The older one blinked between the two for a few more seconds before shaking her head and walking towards the cabinet, grabbing the whiskey bottle and sulking off to her room, giving her door a hard slam. Wynonna let out a huff, turning and climbing the stairs to tend to her crying child. 

       Waverly relaxed back slightly into the couch, watching her mother as she roughly dropped down on the opposite end where she had been before. “Since when does  _ she  _ live here?” She grumbled, rubbing her eyes with her thumb and middle finger. 

       “Since Champ,” she answered in a mumble. “She was gonna leave after I moved out, but then she found out Nonna was pregnant, so she stayed to help her.” 

       “Ah,” she said with a nod, planning to quickly brush off the subject. “So . . . Where were we?” 

       “We were done, I guess,” the brunette shrugged. “Nonna had Alice and Nic and I went to Dallas, came back, and now you’re here.”

       “Well, that’s one hell of a life story, Waverly Earp,” she said with a small smile. 

       Waverly’s face twinged a little, hearing her last name. It was a constant reminder of who she was not. “. . . Can you tell me now?” She asked quietly, pulling her sleeves over her hands and looking up at her through her lashes. 

       Mama clenched her jaw, knowing the question would pop up again sometime soon. The brunette pulled her legs criss-cross in front of her as she turned on the cushion to face her. “. . . What do you want to know?” 

       She leaned her chin on both fists that were still covered by the fabric. “ _Everything_ , Mama.” 

       She nodded, turning herself so she was facing her as well. “. . . I did love Ward, you know. Well . . . I thought I did. It faded not too long after the whiskey began to take my place. But. I eventually found a new love, a  _ true _ love . . . And his name was Julian.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooo
> 
>  
> 
> Its 5 AM and I haven't slept (shocker), excuse any mistakes


	76. What Do You Want Me to Say?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who's Julian?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case y'all didn't hear, GaySolace and I have started a fic. It's a hella fire HS AU so if that's your type of shit, I'd go check it out and lemme know what you think! 
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/21583534/chapters/51460558

       Waverly’s eyes widened, hearing his name for the first time. _Julian_. She thought for a second, trying to see if she knew anyone in Purgatory with that name. But she had nothing. “Julian?”

       Mama nodded. “We’d met a little more than a year before you were born. And I knew right away he was everything I could ever want in a man. He was smart, kind, funny, _handsome_.”

       “Where’d you meet?” The brunette questioned. 

       “We met in a Church about 30 minutes from here . . . I had decided that if I gathered a little faith, maybe Ward wouldn’t be such an asshole. Stupid thinking, I know. But I was desperate. It was the closest up and running church to here, seeing that they thought it’d be crazy to put one in a town called _Purgatory_. And on my first trip there, I met Julian . . . But at that point, he was still Father Julian to me.”

       “He was a priest?” She asked with raised eyebrows. Her mother nodded. She squinted at her. “Aren’t some priests supposed to be celibate?”

       “They’re _supposed_ to be . . . But here _you_ are.”

       “ _Mama_ ,” Waverly laughed. 

       “What?” 

       She shook her head, rolling her eyes playfully. “. . . So what changed? Why was I raised as Daddy’s?” 

       “Well. I found out I was pregnant with you and I told Julian. And he was upset. He was a _Priest_ . People from _all over_ came to his services, so it wouldn’t be too good for his reputation if he had a baby running around . . . So he told me to abort you. He didn’t want anyone to know. I told him no. I couldn’t do that, and I didn’t want to either. So we decided it’d be best to just raise you up as Ward’s.”

       “Did . . . Did he ever get to meet me?” 

       “Once. I told Ward I was taking you with me to the store a month or so after you were born, and I guess he followed me because Julian was holding you, sitting in a pew, and he waltzed right in. We had been sitting to close for his liking, so he put two and two together, and you and I were officially his punching bag after that.” 

       “What’d he do to him?” Waverly questioned, furrowing her brows tightly.

       “Probably what you’d expect . . . Beat the ever-living shit out of him- He would have shot him if I wouldn’t have taken his gun away.” The younger girl shook her head with a frown. “That son of a bitch had it coming, with what happened with Wynonna?” 

       She sighed with a nod, rubbing her hands up and down her face. “So . . .” She moved them, raising her head slightly to meet her eyes. “D’you think I can meet him now?” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole climbed out of her cruiser, jogging up to the front door of the Homestead to get out of the rain/hail mixture that Purgatory was delivering. She pushed it open and walked in, seeing five pairs of eyes on her from the living room. 

       “Oh, Baby.” Waverly rushed over to her with worry in her eyes as she pushed a wad of wet hair out of her face.

       “Guess who was in a lake?” She mumbled.

       Judging by the smell coming from her, it was an easy guess. “Did you find her?” She asked quietly, walking her away from a door. 

       Nicole nodded sadly. “She’s not from here. But she hasn’t been reported missing either, meaning she was taken and dumped before anyone’s realized she’s gone.”

       “Do you have any idea of who did it?” 

       “I don’t know _who_ it was, but I know _what_ it was . . .” 

       Her eyes widened. “ _Revenant_?” 

       The redhead swallowed with a nod. “Wave . . . I’ve never seen anything like that. It- It was bad. She was . . .-” 

       “Shh, later, come on.” She ran her hand down her cheek before leading her upstairs, grabbing her some clothes that they left there for the nights when they stayed over and getting her into a warm shower. She walked down, rejoining Doc, Wynonna, Michelle, and Alice.

       “What’d she say?” Wynonna asked. 

       “That we’ve got a murderous Revenant on our hands . . . Dolls is on it already.” 

       Her eyes widened and she quickly handed off Alice to her mother, standing up off the couch. “That man needs to start telling me things,” she muttered, grabbing her coat off the hook by the door. “Mama, can you make sure Doc doesn’t kill the baby tonight? I’ll be back late.” 

       “Wynonna, I am perfectly capable of taking care of our child by my lonesome,” he said, somewhat offended. 

       “You almost throw up every time you change her diaper. Cool it, Cowboy.” He pursed his lips, knowing she was speaking the truth. 

       “Be careful, Nonna,” her sister warned. “Call me if you need anything.” 

       “I will,” she said with a wave, heading out the door. 

 

       Nicole returned several minutes later, now in sweats. She walked over and the brunette opened her arms. She smiled a little, laying down on the couch and curling into her chest. Doc had gone up to put Alice to bed, so it was just the three of them left. 

       “What’d I miss?” She asked, feeling Waverly pulling a blanket over the both of them. 

       “Not much . . . My dad’s a priest.” 

       “Mm. ‘Plains a lot.” 

       “What’s that supposed to mean?” The brunette asked confusedly. 

       “Means you’re my angel, Baby,” she mumbled sleepily. Waverly rolled her eyes with a blush, pushing her hand through her still-damp hair. 

       “I think you’re gonna need to hit the sack here soon, Dallas,” Mama chuckled, seeing her struggling to keep her eyes open from her chair. 

       “I’ma hit the sack right here,” Nicole mumbled.

       “We still have to get the cats,” Waverly reminded, knowing it was barely 7 PM.

       “‘Morrow.”

       “Well text Nedley then.” 

       Nicole let out a huff, digging her phone out of her pocket. 

 

**Haught: Is it ok if we come by tomorrow instead? Michelle’s back in town so Waves was busy with her and I was trying to fish a body out of the lake all day.**

**Nedley: Good luck peeling Geronimo out of Chrissy’s arms. I think she’s fallen in love**

**Haught: Finally**

**Nedley: BITCH - Chris**

**Haught: Lol**

**Haught: Thanks, Sheriff**

**Nedley: You’re welcome, Sheriff**

**Nedley: Run that case by me when you come by**

**Haught: 👍**

 

       Nicole dropped her phone to the floor, scooching up so her head was by her neck. “Now shh.” 

       Waverly shook her head with a smile, brushing her hair out of her face and pushing a kiss to her forehead. “Night, Love.” 

       “Mm.” 

 

 **.  .  .**  

 

       Waverly and Michelle had stayed up a few more hours, talking quietly after the redhead fell asleep. But even she got tired rather quickly. She woke up the next morning alone, which hurt her heart a little, but she wasn’t surprised that Nicole had gotten an early start to the day. And she also knew she’d be home late again, knowing she was going to be putting her all into this case. 

       She got up with a yawn, walking to the kitchen and starting a pot of coffee. She rubbed her eyes, leaning back against the counter. She opened them, though, hearing someone entering the kitchen. Her face saddened immediately. 

       Gus sulked into the room with her head down, still in her clothes from the day before. She looked to be heading for the door, but Waverly wasn’t letting her leave like that. 

       “Gus . . .” She called after her, rounding the table slowly. The woman stopped, turning around and looking up at her. She looked like she hadn’t slept at all. “Hey.” She walked over and cupped her face, making her meet her eyes. “Just because she’s back doesn’t mean I think of you any less, do you understand me? You’re more of a mother to me than she’ll ever be.” 

       Her features visibly softened. Her mouth came open a little and the brunette gave her an assuring smile. She let out a breath, pulling her niece into a tight hug. How Waverly had known that was exactly what she needed to hear, she didn’t know. But she was so glad she did. 

       The younger one pulled back after a minute, running her hands up and down her arms a few times. “You two need to work it out . . . I’m not gonna watch you two pout around one another all the time.”

       She let out a small huff, pursing her lips. “. . . I just want answers, not excuses.” 

       The brunette sighed, turning and grabbing two mugs out of the cabinet, pouring them each some coffee. “We all do, Gus.” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       A few weeks came and went, leaving the couple on edge. Nicole and BBD were relentlessly trying to track down the killer, but there were no new leads. And Waverly was having a hard time waiting on Michelle. 

       She had told her that she’d take her to meet Julian _after_ she had met with him first. But she was still yet to do that. Waverly was trying to keep calm about it, but the growing want to know more about her history was becoming too much. And her mother had no right to keep her from him.

       So. 

       She decided to take it into her own hands. 

 

       Waverly walked into the station with some lunch for her baby, knocking lightly on the door of her office. She got no answer. She cocked an eyebrow as she pushed it open, seeing an empty room. She turned, walking towards the BBD office and peering through the window, seeing the redhead hunched over a stack of papers. She furrowed her brow, but they slowly rose as she looked back towards her empty office. 

       She shouldn’t. 

       She really shouldn’t. 

       But she toned that little voice in her head out as she made her way back to her office, closing the door behind her. She set the bag of food down on her desk, sitting down in her office chair and rolling forward to reach her computer, looking up at the door as she powered it on.

       The sign-in screen showed up for the station’s database and she typed in Nicole's badge number at the top, cursor swirling around the password bar. _What would Nicole’s pin be_? She knew it had to be six numbers, judging by the little spaces opened. And that probably meant a date.

**010590**

_Not her birthday. Nicole was smarter than that._

**090895**

_Not_ her _birthday either. That was probably still too obvious._

**031616**

_Not their anniversary._  

       She leaned back in the chair, taking that _2 more attempts_ warning at the top of the screen very seriously. She slowly sat up, narrowing her eyes.

**696969**

_Nicole wasn’t that childish . . . Most of the time._

       She sat back again, racking dates over in her brain that meant something to her fiancée. This was her last shot, and she really had no clue. What date would she pick that had to do with her being a cop?

       And then it hit her. 

**081805**

_The night she decided, with a little help from Nedley, that being a police officer was her calling._

       The database opened, giving her access to exactly what she needed. A small smile graced her face as she navigated towards the search area. It gave her a broad range of selections. Name, gender, age, height, weight, residence, _anything_ that an officer would need to try and find someone’s identity. She drummed her fingers on the keyboard for a second before clicking on the name bar and typing in _Julian_ .  Gender? _Male_ . Age? She clicked the option of 40<, for it seemed the most reasonable. She skipped over a few, seeing that she didn’t know what he looked like. Residence? _30-mile radius_. This database was really something. She didn’t really know anything else that she could fill in, so she scrolled to the bottom and hit enter. 

       A list of five popped up on the screen. She immediately ruled off one, seeing that he had died years ago. She skimmed through the information that was below the others, trying to narrow it down. She marked off another, seeing that he was in his 80s. And another, seeing that he had a healthy list of drug charges under his name. She was now left with 2. On the left, a plumper man with a soft smile, and the right, a blue-eyed silver fox that looked like a mix between McSteamy and McDreamy.

 _Oh man_. 

       She clicked on the one to the left first, reading the bit of information underneath. The only data criminally was a single parking ticket. She scrolled a bit more, seeing the information that would be listed on his driver’s license, for that’s where the picture came from. _Hazel eyes_ . Check. _5’8_. Well, that would help explain her own height. Or lack thereof. She scrolled a bit more, but there wasn’t much information about him. 

       She went back, clicking on option number two. _Blue eyes_ . She wished. _6’5_ . She definitely didn’t get any of _that_. She looked at the charges, furrowing her brows. He had two separate charges, one for disturbing the peace and one for trespassing. She clicked on it to read the incident report, and a gasp left her throat, seeing that she was directed to a newspaper article instead. 

       She didn’t even need to read it to know. The picture and header on the front told it all. 

 

**Father Julian Arrested at Anti-Police Protest**

       In the picture, he stood, clergy collar and all, with one fist up, his other hand holding a sign reading _Community, not Cops_ . There was a whole gaggle behind him, most with even _less_ friendly signs. 

_Fuck the Police_

_Put Wings on Our Pigs_

_Stop Killing Us_

     

       After she _did_ do a quick read, she learned it had been 10 years ago. An innocent man had been gunned down in their town, and it had sparked an uproar. The Father and several others had been arrested after circling the block of the police station for hours, refusing to leave. But judging by the article, this wasn’t the first time he had led protests like this. This was just the first he had been arrested for. He had led other anti-war and anti-military protests as well. 

       She sat back in her chair, running her hands down her cheeks. 

       This man was _no doubt_ her dad. 

       And her fiancée was apparently his biggest enemy. 

       Speaking of. 

       She heard the sound of boots outside the door and her heart rate picked up as she quickly closed all the tabs, mashing the power button on the screen just as the door opened.

       Nicole looked up from her phone, jumping slightly at the sight of her smiling girlfriend sitting at her desk. “God, Wave,” she laughed. “You scared the shit out of me.” 

       “Sorry,” she giggled, reaching across the desk and grabbing the bag of food. “I brought us lunch?” 

       Nicole smiled, placing her hands on her knees as she sat on the couch. “How long have you been here?” She questioned as the brunette rolled over to her, grabbing one of the flat chairs in front of her desk that they could use as a table.

       “Not that long ago, like 10 minutes maybe?” 

       “Why didn’t you come get me?” She furrowed her brow at her, feeling bad that she kept her waiting. 

       “You looked busy.” 

       Nicole pursed her lips as she sat back and threw her foot over her knee, opening a packet of soy sauce with her teeth and pouring it over her noodles. “. . . How the hell did you entertain yourself in here for _10_ _minutes_?” She questioned with a small smirk, poking fun at her constant need to be doing something.

       The brunette’s eyes widened slightly. “I just . . .” She looked down at her food before back up at her with a smirk of her own. “Thought about you in that tie. It kept me _pretty_ occupied.” 

       “Oh did it, now?” 

       Waverly stuck some rice in her mouth with a nod. “It did.” 

       “Hmm,” Nicole nodded, mixing it around with some chopsticks. “We might have to do something about that later.” 

       Waverly grinned slyly, pulling her legs crisscross on the chair. “We just might.”

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The redhead let out a heavy breath when she pulled from her lips, sucking in some more air as she kept the roll of her hips pressed against the brunette’s centre constant. She looked down into her eyes, watching her bite at her lip, balling up the pillow behind her head in her fist. She cupped the side of her neck, meeting her lips with a soft moan as she felt her body heat up for the countless time that night. 

       “I’m so close,” the brunette breathed, squeezing her free hand into her bicep. 

       “Me, too, Baby.” She sped it up, pushing her front closer to her to add pressure. The brunette’s body jumped, arching into her with a low groan and the redhead slid her hand behind her back as her teeth sunk into her own lip, eyes snapping shut as her muscles clenched all over, a deafening ringing filling her ears. 

       She gently let her lay down, landing on top of her as she went limp. It wasn’t until she felt her pushing at her arm that she opened her eyes, letting herself come back to reality. “. . . Nic!”

       She sprang up onto her knees, looking down at her worriedly, only to see her laughing. “W- What?” It was then that she realized some of the deafening noise had come from her phone. The alarm on her phone to be specific. To be even _more_ specific, it was her 5 AM wake up alarm, meaning they had quite literally fucked _all night long_. “Shit,” she mumbled with a crooked smile, leaning over her and grabbing it off the nightstand before shutting it off. She laid back down next to her, rolling onto her side to face her. “This was probably a bad idea.” 

       Waverly rolled to face her with a grin, leaning up and pressing a kiss to her chin, trailing her hand down her chest to her stomach. “It was worth it, though.” 

       The redhead shifted slightly, definitely agreeing there. She pressed a final kiss to her lips, squeezing her hip as she moved to get up. “I’ma hop in the shower.” 

       She grabbed her arm and pulled her down into one more kiss, humming into her lips as she reached up and squeezed her boobs, tugging at her nipples until the redhead pulled away with a wince, throwing her a look as she walked nakedly off to the bathroom. Waverly quickly furrowed her brow at herself, wondering why she was still laying in that damn bed, after she heard the water turn on. She let out a huff, scrambling off it and entering the bathroom, climbing in right after her. 

       “Can’t get enough?” The redhead asked with a smirk as she pushed her hands through her hair under the water. 

       “No. I just need a shower, too,” she corrected, bumping her forward so she could get herself in the water. Nicole scoffed with a laugh, stepping forward so they were sharing it. The brunette giggled, looping her arms around her neck as she wrapped her arms around her waist, pushing her face into her shoulder with a sigh. 

       “10 months,” Nicole said with a breathy laugh, squeezing a little tighter. 

       “304 days,” the smaller one challenged with a face-tearing smile.

       They had officially decided on a date for the wedding in the midst of the night before, figuring Wynonna wouldn’t mind if it was a joint Alice’s first birthday/their 2nd anniversary/their wedding. It was going to be at the Homestead anyways. The only problem was that now they ( _Waverly_ ) only had _10 months_ to plan. 

       The younger one turned around in her arms, grabbing the body wash off the shelf. “So. I was thinking . . .” She pulled Nicole out from under the stream, pouring some of it into her hands and lathering it up, rubbing it across her shoulders. “Silver, blue, and white for colors?” 

       “What kind of blue?” Nicole questioned, running her thumb across a love bite on her hip. 

       “Just, like, regular blue,” she shrugged, moving her hands across her abdomen. 

       “What about _sky_ blue?”

       “Oooooooo, yea,” she grinned excitedly. 

       Nicole shook her head at her adorableness, pressing a kiss to the corner of that grin before she got her to turn around. “What am _I_ wearing?” 

       “Well I would _love_ to see you in a dress just for my own amusement.” 

       “Mm, yea no. Last time I wore a dress in public was in _middle school_ ,” the redhead informed with a shake of her head. 

       “Darn . . .” She sighed sarcastically. “White tux then? With the colored accents to match everything like my flowers will.” 

       Nicole nodded, “And my bride’s people in grey, yours in the blue?”

       “Or vice versa, don’t matter to me.”

       “I think Jer would rather be in grey,” she said with a little laugh.

       “True, Chrissy’d kill for a blue dress.” 

       “Now hold on a minute.” The Sheriff turned around quickly, squinting down at her. “Who gets _Wynonna_.” 

       “Me. _Duh_ . She’s my _sister_.” 

       “She’s _my_ best friend,” the taller one countered, taking a step closer, which the brunette took right back. 

       “ _Jeremy_ is your best friend,” she corrected.

       “ _Jeremy_ is basically my _brother_. He doesn’t count.” She took another step, and then another. 

       “Well _your_ brother is in _your_ group, therefore, _I_ get _my_ sister in mine.” Waverly took one more step back, letting out a gasp wrapped in a hiss as her back hit the cold tile wall of the shower.

       Nicole closed in on her, placing her hands on either side of her head and looking down at her with a scary grin. She drew her finger down the side of her face. “How about _this_?” She tipped her chin to the left with that, dropping her head closer to her ear. “We cut one of the grey and one of the blue bridesmaid’s dresses in half and get Gus to sew them together.”

       Waverly giggled, sliding her hands down her back and to her ass, pulling her closer with a squeeze. “I have a feeling that will give her way, way, _way_ too much power.” She pulled her head down. “But I _love_ it.” The redhead’s grin stuck as she gripped her hips, slotting her thigh between her’s as she met her lips.

 

**.  .  .**

 

       Nicole had ended up getting to work _just_ on time, rather than her usual 10-20 minutes early. Waverly, though, had headed back to the bedroom. After changing the covers, she slipped into bed to get some sleep, for she wasn’t working until that night. 

       After she had left the station the day before, she had done some more research on her father, now that she had a face to put to the name. And it seemed that he was a rather popular Priest in the area, even having his own weekly podcast that streamed his service and _then_ some. 

       She also found more pictures of him, and it scared her a bit because she could see some similarities between them. She had his nose and she figured her strong jaw had to have come from him, as well. 

       She also learned that he _was_ a Catholic priest, had _never_ married, and even that many of his services included talks about being celibate his whole life. She was a little confused by that part but just figured his relationship with her mother had always been kept a secret from everyone. 

       The anti-police and other forms of peace protests that he had led scared her. This man was her father that she had planned on growing somewhat of a relationship with. But she didn’t know if she could if he was going to have a hate for her future wife. It didn’t matter the circumstances, she would put Nicole before him any day. And if that included cutting the ties that could have been formed because of his hatefulness, then that was how it was going to go. 

       Maybe all of that was why Mama was keeping her from him.

 

       Waverly stirred, feeling herself being shaken slightly. “Waverly.” 

       “No,” she grumbled, flipping away from her fiancée’s voice. 

       She grabbed her arm, flipping her back over. “ _Waverly_.” 

       The brunette opened her eyes, rubbing them as she looked up at Nicole. “What?” She huffed. She furrowed her brows, though, now seeing the pissed off look on her face. She sat up. “Babe, what?” 

       The Sheriff turned, walking out of the room, shoving her hands into her pockets as she went. Waverly crawled out from under the blankets, following her out. “ _What_ , Nicole?” She asked, trying to figure out why she was, one, pissed, and two, home from work 30 minutes after she had gone in. The redhead leaned back against the island, crossing her arms as she looked towards her. “Why are you _looking_ at me like that?!” Waverly asked, stopping a couple of feet front of her and throwing her arms out. 

       Nicole let her cheek go from in between her teeth, raising her eyebrows at her. “D’you know I get an email alert _every time_ there’s a failed attempt to get into my computer?” 

       The brunette’s face fell, but she pursed her lips, turning and dropping onto the couch, curling her knees up in front of her. “ _No_.” 

       “No? Didn’t think so. Oh! I _also_ don’t think you knew that after _three_ attempts before an entry, it takes a screen recording of _exactly_ what was looked at because no _actual officer_ should mess up typing their password in _four times_ . But if they _do_ , they know to click the little alert thing that pops up _three times_ to make it _not_ start recording . . . We’ve got some complex hacker technology here in Purgatory.” Waverly picked at her finger, looking up at her through her lashes as she stayed quiet. Nicole glared back at her for a few seconds. “So you’re just gonna stare at me then, huh?” 

       Waverly let her hands clap her legs. “Well, what do you want me to say?” 

       “I want you to tell me _why_ you thought it was _ok_ to use the _police database_ that is only to be used by _police_ . That’s like me walking into Shorty’s and grabbing a couple whiskey bottles _just cause_ you work there. But then _not_ telling you I did it when Shorty is yelling at all of you, trying to figure out who stole them. Cause, ya know, you lied to my _face_ and didn’t tell me about it.” 

       “I’m sorry,” she mumbled as she looked down. 

       “You’re _sorry_ ?” The redhead asked with a scoffed laugh, pushing off the counter. “Waverly, you realize what you did was _illegal_ , right?”

       The brunette looked up at her, tipping her head. “What? Are you gonna arrest me?”

       “No, I’m not going to _arrest_ you,” she grumbled. “I just wanna know why you didn’t _ask me_ because, believe it or not, I would have been _more than happy_ to search him up _for you_ .” She pursed her lips, feeling a pang of guilt hit her heart. “But _no_. You decided to go behind my back with it.” 

       “I figured you _wouldn’t_ ,” she finally snapped out.

       “Why?!” She asked, raising her eyebrows in confusion. 

       She stood, shaking her head as she walked towards the bedroom. “Because it doesn’t seem like you _fucking_ care, Nicole.” 

       The redhead followed, seeing that she was stripping her hoodie and pulling a nicer shirt on. “What d’you mean it doesn’t seem like I care?! Of _course_ I care!” 

       She spun towards her. “Really? Cause every time I’ve brought it up over the past 2 weeks, you either given me a half-assed answer or changed the subject!” 

       “ _God_ , Waverly. No, I _haven’t_.” 

       “Yes you have! That’s why I stopped talking about it cause you’re _obviously_ more concerned about the dead lady than me!” She turned back to the closet, grabbing some jeans. 

       Nicole rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that wondering if Julian’s left ear is pointy like yours was more important than trying to find the whereabouts of the _literal murderous demon_ running around my damn town!” 

       Waverly pushed past her after digging some socks out of their drawer. “Well sitting there thinking about it while we are eating dinner _probably_ isn’t going to get you anywhere . . . How hard is it to forget about it for _20 minutes_!?” 

       “I don’t think it's a good idea!” The redhead finally blurted out, stopping at the end of the hallway. 

       She stopped, turning towards her with one shoe in her hand. “What?” 

       Nicole swallowed before giving her a shrug. “. . . I don’t think you should meet him.” 

       She furrowed her brow tightly as a sudden pit of anger bubbled up inside her. “ _Why_?”

       “Because! . . . I find it _very_ hard to believe that he cares about you. What kind of _father_ leaves their child with a _known_ abuser? Also the fact that he’s known about you your whole life and has never _once_ thought to contact you? . . . And now you know he hates _me and Wynonna and Black Badge and anyone relating to the law_ because we’re _murders of the innocent_ . . . And he’s a Priest. I may be biased, but I’ve never met a Catholic Priest that would be _ok_ with the fact that you’re engaged to a _woman_ . . . You’re just _setting_ yourself up for heartbreak. And you could avoid it entirely by moving on.”

       Waverly aggressively pulled her shoes on, walking over and grabbing her purse off the counter. “Wow. I’m glad you’ve thought about all that, Nicole, because, _believe me_ , I have too. I’ve already realized this could be a bad idea. But, you know? What if it isn’t? What if he’s _not_ as much of an asshole as it seems he could be? And what if by-” She raised her hands with _very angry_ air quotes, “‘ _moving on’_ I miss out on an opportunity to actually have a relationship with him? All I’ve wanted this past year is to explore this and some _stupid fucking fear_ is _not_ going to stop me!” She turned on her heel, heading for the door. 

       “Waverly, where are you _going_?!” Nicole called after her with a huff.

       “ _To prove you wrong_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There she goes


	77. Top Shelf, Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly meets Julian  
> Then someone else meets Julian  
> And then someone gets married?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go read Looking to Belong, fools  
> Ch 2 is up!
> 
> Major feels of all kinds in this one

       Waverly shoved her jeep in park, pulling her visor down and letting out a breath as she wiped under her eyes. She was well aware that she had  _ royally _ screwed up. And she was also well aware that their conversation was far from over with. She just hoped that Nicole had some sense of forgiveness in her heart because she didn't know how she would live with herself if she didn't. 

       She flicked her visor back up after putting on about five minutes' worth of purse makeup, watching as the church crowd slowly but surely made their ways back to their cars. It was larger than the usual one-roomed churches in the area but certainly wasn't as big as the ones that looked more like a concert arena. But judging by the sign flashing through announcements in the front, Julian seemed to be the star of the show here. 

       After the last trickle of people seemed to be leaving and her eyes looked like she  _ hadn't _ been crying for 30 minutes straight, she climbed out of her vehicle, glancing over at herself in her side mirror before biting the bullet and heading inside. 

       She wasn’t going to lie. She had never actually been in a church before. Well. Not that she remembered, that was. So seeing the inside was quite interesting because it was all new to her. It seemed to be a more up-to-date church, judging by the multiple TVs lining the walls and the large one in front. The ceiling was tall, decked out with a healthy amount of stained glass. There were a dozen, give or take, pews on either side, leading up to the front. On the right side of the stage was a couple of choir benches and a piano, and on the left was a couple of microphones, some guitars, and a drumset. Front and center, aligned with the huge Jesus up on the back wall, stood a podium. 

       And at the podium, stood Julian. 

       He was talking to the final two people in the room, but they seemed to be leaving as well. She walked up the middle, giving them a polite smile as they passed. Julian seemed to not be aware of her presence, for he was busy sorting through some papers on the podium, but it just gave her a chance to study him for a few seconds. 

       He honestly was more handsome in person than he had been in any of the many pictures she had seen of him. His light grey hair was short on the sides and shaped up on the top. His beard was trimmed nicely to follow his jaw. And he was tall and  _ very  _ muscular, judging by the way his Priest attire fit him. 

       She had to say, he looked pretty damn good for 51, so she hoped she had gotten those genes. 

       She let out a breath in attempt to calm herself down, feeling how fast her heart was beating. She swallowed before finally beginning, “I’ve got a question for you.” 

       He raised his eyes from his papers, looking at her for a second, for he hadn’t realized she had been standing there. “And I may have an answer for you.” His voice was deep; deeper than she had expected and smooth as Tennesse whiskey. 

       She took a few more steps forward and hopped up onto the stage, walking to the podium and leaning against it across from him. He stood up to his full height, lifting the papers and tapping the edge against the wood to align them before setting them down and leaning forward on his elbows, squinting slightly at her, almost as if he was trying to place her. “You look familiar . . .” he mused. “Have we met before?” 

       She raised her eyebrows a bit at that but gave him a shrug. “Not that I remember.”  _ Technically _ , it was not a lie. 

       He gave her a nod with a smile, holding his hand out. “Father Julian.” 

       She shook it with a smile of her own. “Hi . . . Now to my question.” She tapped her fingers on the top of it slightly, shifting her weight to her right leg. “What’s your opinion on racism?” 

       He tipped his head, probably not expecting that to be her question. “Well, it’s certainly one of the biggest problems in the world at the moment.” 

       “Are  _ you  _ racist?” 

       “Everyone to me is equal. That’s always how I’ve seen it.”

       “Women?” 

       He nodded with a little chuckle, “Of course. We wouldn’t be here without them.” 

       She smiled at that, tipping her head a bit and standing up a little straighter. “What about gay marriage?” 

       “Considering I just officiated one here last weekend, I’d say I’m favor.”

       Her eyebrows shot to her hairline. “ _ Really _ ?” She squeaked out before realizing it. 

       He nodded slowly, standing up straight and crossing his arms in front of himself. “Is there a reason why I’m being interrogated . . .?” 

       She looked up at him, widening her eyes a bit. “Well- I, uh . . . I heard about all your protest shenanigans and I wanted to see who else you were against . . . Besides, ya know, police and all.” 

       He grabbed his papers and made a gesture for her to follow. They walked down the steps and he led her to a room behind the main church that looked to be his office and setting them down on his desk. They were out just as fast as they were in, slowly walking back. “I’m against violence- It’s not necessary and never will be. There are so many other ways problems can be solved then going out and shooting people.” 

       “So that’s why you don’t like cops? They’re too violent?” 

       He nodded with a small scowl, putting his hands in his pockets as he went to go up the stairs to the stage. “Them and all  _ murderers _ .” 

       Waverly looked towards him, chewing on the side of her lip. “So . . . It has nothing to do with Sheriff Earp?” 

       Julian stopped dead in his tracks, snapping his head towards her with bulging eyes. “How on  _ Earth _ do you know about that?!” His voice was suddenly harsh, almost fearful. 

       She crossed her arms in front of herself, hugging her body. “. . . I was kinda there,” she mumbled. 

       His brow wrinkled tightly, strong lines forming on his forehead. “You were . . .” She watched the realization hit him like a freight train. “ _ Waverly _ ?” She gave him a small smile, tracing his face for his next move.  He continued to stare down at her in shock. “How did you- You were never- I didn’t-”

       “Michelle’s home.”

       He quickly shook his head. “She told me you would never kno-” 

       “She didn’t tell me,” Waverly corrected. “Well, she  _ did _ . But only who you were. I had already known I wasn’t an Earp. Whole DNA test thing-  _ long story _ . Anyway.” 

       “No. No one can know about you. It-” 

       She put her hands up slightly. “I know that. And no one has to, I promise.” She looked up at him with pleading eyes, begging him not to push her away. 

       She watched as he racked it over in his brain, the nerves working in his face. He finally pursed his lips, letting out a sigh, “ _ Lord _ .” He walked back down to her, standing in front of her for a second before gently placing his hands on her shoulders as he seemed to study her. “You look just like your mother- No wonder I thought you looked familiar.” 

       “I do?” She asked with a subconscious giggle. 

       “Pretty darn similar,” he confirmed with a soft smile. She blushed a bit and he removed his hands. “C’mon.” He began to walk towards the door. 

       “Where?” 

       “Outside. I think better with fresh air.” 

       She quickly followed, fast-walking to return to his side. Father Julian pushed opened the door, letting her out first. “What did-”

       He quickly cut her off with a grimace, “Why in God’s name is there a  _ pig _ on my property?” 

       Waverly cocked an eyebrow, turning her head toward the direction he was looking, only to see a certain redhead leaning against her cruiser on the other side of the parking lot. Her eyes widened as she looked back up at him. “Don’t call her that.” 

       “Why not?!” 

       “Cause . . .” She got quiet with a huff. “She’s my  _ annoyingly overprotective _ fiancee.” 

       “You’re  _ what _ ?!” 

       She clenched her jaw, shooting daggers at her for a second. “Just- Gimme a second.” She began to walk towards her with an angry stomp in her step. "What the hell are you doing here?!" 

       Nicole pushed herself to a standing position. She didn't look as angry as she had earlier. She was more worried now. "Making sure you'ere gonna be ok when you left here," she mumbled, feeling eyes locked on her from 40 feet away. 

       "What- Did you follow me here?" She questioned, raising her brows. 

       "Of course I did." 

       The brunette crossed her arms. "Well, guess who's  _ not _ a bigoted asshole?" 

       Nicole pursed her lips. "Waves,-" 

       "No. Don't  _ Waves _ me. You had  _ no _ right to follow me, Nico-"

       "Oh, I had  _ no right _ , huh?" She crossed her arms with a look that shoved the brunette _right_ back in her place. Waverly's face softened as she made herself smaller. "Yea, that's what I thought." 

       "Nic, I'm sorry." 

       "No. The only reason you're  _ sorry  _ is cause you got caught." The smaller one’s brow dipped, but she stayed quiet. "Do you even realize how this makes me feel, Waverly?!" 

       "Like I don't care about you," she mumbled. 

       Well, she sure nailed that one right on the head. 

       "Uh-huh. And that you don't take what I do seriously." 

       "I do, though.” Her eyes watered. “You know I do . . . And I’m sorry. I really am. I know I should have never even  _ touched  _ it. And I never will again. I wasn’t thinking straight- but that’s not an excuse and I know that . . . But I promise you, I won’t do anything like it again.”

       Nicole stared down at her, gritting her teeth slightly as she read her face, seeing nothing but truthfulness coming through her terrified eyes. She let out a sigh, grabbing her by the upper arms and pulling her into a tight hug. Waverly let out the breath she had been holding, melting into the curve of her front as the Sheriff rested her chin on the top of her head. “Wave, you  _ can’t  _ do something like that again.” Her voice cracked a bit halfway through. 

       “I know. I won’t, I swear,” she said, muffled into the front of her uniform. 

       Nicole released her, moving her hands to her cheeks and tipping her head up. “No. Look at me. You  _ cannot  _ do something like that again,” she repeated. “Do you understand me?” Waverly’s eyes widened, for she understood her underlying message loud and clear. She slowly nodded and the redhead ran her thumb across her cheek before pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. “Ok. Go on, I’d rather not keep him waiting.” 

       Waverly looked over to the Priest, seeing him leaned against the wall, seeming to be pretending  _ not  _ to be watching them. She then looked up at her fiancée, seeing some fear on her face. She clenched her jaw a bit. Her reasoning still stood. If he couldn’t be ok with the fact that Nicole was her everything, he wasn’t going to be in her life. 

       And no better way to find out then to introduce them. 

       She caught his eye after a few seconds and she waved him over. “Wave . . .” Nicole mumbled, visibly going tense beside her. 

       She ran her thumb across her hand. “Just be nice to him. There’s nothing  _ not _ to like about you.” 

       Nicole threw her a look, but he was now too close for her to give a half-assed response. He came to a stop in front of them and the redhead stood up straighter, squaring her shoulders slightly as he looked her over intently. There wasn’t a whole bunch of people she was normally around that had a significant height advantage over her, so maybe a  _ teeny tiny  _ bit of fear was seeping through her otherwise relaxed face.

       She offered her hand with a smile when he finally made his way to look in her eyes. “Nicole Haught.” 

       He slowly shook it, flicking his eyes down to her nametag. “ _ Sheriff _ Haught?” He questioned, turning his head to Waverly with narrowed eyes as he kept hold of her hand with a firm grip. 

       “She wasn’t Sheriff until  _ after  _ we were dating,” she said quietly in an attempt to explain it. 

       He gave her a long nod, raising his eyebrows as he looked back towards the redhead for a second before letting go of her hand and using that arm to force her back into the side of her cruiser. Her eyes widened, snapping towards the brunette, who's were just as wide. 

       “I’m sure you’re aware I’m not a fan of your kind,” he spoke lowly. 

       She swallowed a bit, mouth coming open for a second, “Well aware, Father.” 

       “Do you know why that is?”

       “Cause you think regular citizens can handle all of the crimes in the world by themselves?” She said as politely as she could. “ _ And _ we’re too violent?”

       “You seem to disagree with that last part, aye?” He cocked his head slightly and she nodded. “Have you ever punched someone on duty, Sheriff Haught?” 

       “Wh- I have, yes.” 

       “Have you ever knocked someone out?” She gave a nod. He looked down, tapping the butt of the taser on her hip. “What about tased?” 

       “Only when necessary,” she assured. 

       “Do you  _ only  _ use violence  _ when necessary _ ?” He questioned, raising a brow. 

       Her lips pursed a bit, for she had planned on being completely honest with him because she was sure he was able to read people like a book. “I  _ try _ to,” she answered a little quieter. 

       She watched his eyes harden. “Have you ever hurt someone for no reason?” 

       “Not for  _ no  _ reason, no. If I’ve ever used excessive force, it’s only because I thought they deserved it.”

       “Why would someone  _ ever  _ deserve that!?” He snapped, adding more pressure with the arm across her shoulders

       “Well, I personally believe the man who tried to rape  _ your daughter _ deserves Hellfire, but the beating I gave him was the best I could do.”

       “ _ Nicole _ ,” Waverly gasped. 

       He looked towards the brunette with wide eyes before looking back down at Nicole, shifting on his feet uncomfortably. “Have you ever shot someone?” He questioned gravely.

       Her face paled slightly. “. . . Y-yes. But I had to. Both times.” 

       The Priest inched his face closer to her’s, dropping his voice to a growl, “Have you ever taken a life, Sheriff?” 

       Waverly knew the redhead had been putting up with all of his other questions. He was just trying to prove a point. But judging by the look on her face with  _ that  _ question, he had triggered some memories she hadn’t thought about in a  _ long  _ time. 

       The man smacked his hand against the cruiser as the anger grew on his face, for her horrified expression had answered that question  _ very  _ clearly. 

       “That’s  _ enough _ ,” Waverly snapped, grabbing his arms and pulling him off of her, using her body as a barrier between the two. 

       Julian’s face was flushed with fury. “How dare you plan to marry a  _ murderer _ ?!” He roared with fire in his eyes. 

       She stormed towards him, pushing her hand against his front to back him up a dozen or so feet. “She is  _ not _ a murderer! It was between her, two other officers, and a 13 year old boy or the man who had already shot  _ through  _ him  _ at  _ them. Don’t you  _ dare  _ tell me you wouldn’t have done the same thing!” His eyes softened slightly, for he realized the situation was reasonable, but there was still a scowl on his face as he looked past her at the redhead. “Go cool down or something. I need to make sure you haven’t just given her a panic attack from bringing that up.” 

       He let out a tut, “She’ll-”

       “ _ Julian _ . Go. Or I swear, you’ll never see me again.” Now she had taken up the fire in her eyes. He dropped his gaze back to her solemnly with a nod, turning back towards the church. She let out a breath as she turned back to her fiancée, rushing over and taking her face in her hands. “Baby?” She was still pressed against the cruiser like she had been when he was holding her there. “You’re ok, Honey. Look at me.” 

       The redhead brought her eyes to meet her’s, immediately clapping her hand over her mouth and snapping her eyes shut as she slid down the car to the blacktop. Waverly went down with her, placing her hands on her knees. She slid them down the sides of her thighs, rubbing them gently as she watched the first couple of tears escape her eyes.  “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t think he’d go that far.” 

       Nicole looked up at her, removing her hand from her mouth. “A-Am I a murderer, Wave?”

       Her eyes shot out of her head. “No!” She said it so loud, the redhead jumped. She gave her a look of apology as she scooted closer to her. “Baby, you did everything you were trained to do and saved  _ three people  _ in the process. And just like Nedley said, he  _ deserved  _ that and so much more . . . I  _ promise  _ you, you are  _ not  _ a murderer.” 

       She sniffled slightly. “But-” 

       “No but’s,” she said with a shake of her head. “Ok?” 

       Nicole nodded, and the brunette smiled as she pushed herself to her feet, holding her hands out to help her up. She stood and Waverly brought her hands to her cheeks, wiping under her eyes before bringing her head down into a soft kiss of assurance. She smiled when she pulled back, tapping her fingers on her collarbone a few times. “I’m gonna go tell him we’re leaving, yea?” Nicole nodded with a small smile of her own. “And  _ then _ you’re gonna go to work and Ima bring you some brunch. Sound good?” 

       The redhead nodded as she wiped her eyes once more with her sleeve. “Sounds  great .”

       After saying goodbye and getting a somewhat sincere apology from him, the couple left the church. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The month of May seemed to slide by for Purgatory, and before they knew it, it was June. 

       June third, to be specific. AKA, the day of Jessie and Topher’s wedding. 

       Things around the town had calmed down a bit, so it was perfect timing. Mama and Gus had talked it out, so they were finally getting along to an extent. Mama and Julian had also talked, clearing up some confusion between the two. Waverly and Julian were still trying to get to know each other, and he was also trying to get used to being around the family, for any newcomer feels a bit outcast from the group when they first arrive, considering the type of people that were around. And he was also working on being able to like Nicole despite the circumstances. 

       Since Waverly was one of Jessie's bridesmaids, she had left earlier that morning to go and get ready at the venue. And that meant Nicole was stuck getting ready with Wynonna. 

       “Haught Potato!” The brunette shouted from the other side of the Homestead. 

       “Yes, Wynonna?” She called back as she doused herself in hair spray. 

       She appeared at the bathroom door. “Does this make my ass look good?” 

       Nicole looked towards her, seeing her in the black and red dress that Waverly was forcing her to wear because  _ it was a formal event and she couldn’t just wear her  _ nice _ leather jacket.  _ “Top shelf, Man,” the redhead nodded with an ok sign, turning back to her hair. 

       Wynonna grinned. “You want me to tell Waves you said that?” 

       “Go for it,” she sighed. “She already knows what I think of  _ her  _ ass.” The older one gagged loudly as she retreated from the doorway, leaving Nicole snickering to herself. 

 

       After they were both ready, they left the Homestead and headed to the venue. All Nicole knew was that it was a Harley Quinn and Joker themed wedding, for the couple was  _ more _ than obsessed. So she had yet to see what Waverly would be wearing. All she knew was that she was very adamant on her wearing a purple suit over a green vest.

       So. 

       The weird looks she got when she filled up the tank on her cruiser weren’t unexpected. 

       They arrived and were instantly  _ floored _ by the room’s decor. “Holy shit,” Wynonna gawked. It was a concrete building and it seemed that the walls had been spray-painted  _ just  _ for the occasion. There were blacklights shining down and the tables set about were each dedicated to a certain DC character. Everyone that was there was in formal attire but matched the red, black, purple, and green color scheme. They made their way towards the room for the ceremony, which was just as, if not  _ more _ , awesome. “Y’all are gonna need to step your wedding game up. There’s no way you’re beating this.” 

       Nicole threw her a look and shushed her, hearing the microphone tone roll over, signaling it had been turned on. She looked towards a door opening on the left side as a little blip of music played through the speakers when Batman rolled through it, getting a laugh out of everyone in the room. He stood and walked up to the metal altar, setting the microphone stand in front of him. She realized he must be the one who was officiating the wedding and it made the whole thing 200 times better. 

       He said some nice words about the couple and about the day ahead, but a gasp left a few people when all the lights flickered when he stopped talking for a second. With a grin, he began again, “It seems they’re ready back there.” 

       The lights flickered again as the two doors in the back slammed opened as the beginning of Heathens trickled through the speakers. The lights cut, turning back on to reveal the first bridesmaid and groomsman in the doorway. 

       More specifically, the first bridesmaid and groomsman dressed in full costume as the first comic book appearance of Harley Quinn and The Joker. 

       Wynonna’s eyes widened in amazement as they strut their way down the aisle, each spinning a gun about their fingers. Nicole realized, though it wasn’t in its usual order, that it was Topher’s brother (his Best Man) and Jessie’s sister, (her Maid of Honor). 

       The lights flicked again as the second set appeared, now Cesar Romero’s Joker and a half-nurse Harley. The redhead wasn’t sure who either of them were, but the Harley was sure having a good time toying with the stethoscope that she had looped around his neck. 

       Up next was Jack Nicholson’s Joker and Harley with some red and black pants and a corset-like crop top. Nicole, once again, couldn’t put a finger on the guy, but she could tell a mallet-bearing Chrissy under 5 pounds of makeup from anywhere. She gave her a grin from her spot at the end of the aisle as she passed and the blonde threw her smirk, looking slightly over her shoulder. 

       The Sheriff’s eyes widened, for she only knew that meant one thing. 

       The light’s cut for a few seconds, and a cartwheeling Joker came flying through the door, landing three of them before rolling onto his back and holding the white and red baseball bat up as Harley bounded through the door with two frontflips, a backflip, and an aerial twist over his body, grabbing the bat in the process. She landed perfectly, throwing it over her shoulder with a beaming smile as she reached down and took his arm, pulling him to his feet before continuing on. 

       Nicole’s jaw had already smacked the floor, but she continued to watch as Heath Ledger’s Joker skipped with her fiancée, who was dressed in some red and black leggings, a black skirt, and a mesh-like top, towards the altar. All the girls’ hair had been in high pigtails and all the mens’ hair was colored green, but it seemed she was the only one that had dyed the ends of her hair bright red with some one-wash coloring. 

       This was the  _ very  _ last thing Nicole had expected to see. 

       As Waverly and the man skipped along, she threw her a wink and tapped her nose as they passed, turning her cheeks tomato red. “ _ Jesus _ ,” she breathed out. 

       “You ok there, Haughty?” Wynonna questioned with a snort. 

       “ _No_.” 

       The song cut with a record scratch as the room went black before slowly fading in Sucker For Pain as the lights inched back on when boots were heard hitting the concrete floor as Topher entered the room. As the order stood, he was not surprisingly The Joker from Suicide Squad. He was in the tailcoat suit he had worn and had seemed to have  _ actually _ dyed his hair green, unlike the others. 

       Everyone stood and he made his way down, greeting people on either side with a wicked metal smile. Nicole wasn’t going to lie, she wouldn’t be surprised if Jared Leto turned out to be the one under all of that makeup. Not only did he have his mannerisms down, but he looked  _ just _ like the real thing.

       He arrived at the altar and took his position in front of all the other Jokers, who were standing in order. And now she could see that it was showing them  _ together _ leading up to who they were today. And it was pretty damn cool.

       The music was cut again, and the Wedding March started up. But not the  _ normal  _ Wedding March. No. This one was eerie, and had sounds of maniac laughter and screaming barely audible in the background. A tiny Green Lantern ring bearer made his way up, followed by an even tinier Wonder Woman flower girl. And finally. Jessie and her father appeared. She was also perfectly matching Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad, and her father looked over the moon dressed as Superman. Rather than a bouquet, she held her bat in front of her like one as they took a few slow steps into the room, which got a laugh out of everyone. Walking in beat with the music was soon forgotten as Jessie also greeted everyone on either side.

       She stopped at Nicole and tugged her into a tight hug. “Waverly, amiright?” She asked with a grin when she pulled away. 

       “Was that her idea?” She questioned. 

       “Of course it was,” she scoffed with a laugh. “Wait until the Reception to see  _ what else _ was her idea.” 

       The redhead stared at her with wide eyes as she walked away, a pit of fear bubbling up inside her. She had barely held it together now, but with the way she had said that, she was sure she wasn’t going to be able to later. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “I never realized I needed to watch Batman officiate a wedding until saw it,” Wynonna admitted as she got herself and Nicole a drink. 

       The redhead took a sip before tipping the cup at her. “Waves is going to try and replan everything we have now. So if you find me on the couch one morning, it’s cause I told her we’re not having a Toy Story themed wedding.” 

       The brunette snorted into her drink. “Aw, come on. I’d  _ love  _ to see you all Buzz’d up again.” 

       “Who’s buzzed?” 

       They turned at the voice, and Nicole smiled down at Waverly. “No one yet,” she smirked. Her eyes did a once over of her and she swallowed a bit as they landed back on her face. “That looks comfy.” 

       “It’s not,” she grumbled, taking a step forward and wrapping her arms around her middle. 

       Nicole chuckled, cupping her cheeks and tipping her head up into a kiss. “. . . I’m not complaining about anything.”

       “I bet you’re not,” she sighed with a playful eye roll. 

       “Well, I mean . . . I guess this could be a  _ little  _ shorter.” She slid her hands down to her ass, balling up the skirt in her fists.

       The smaller girl huffed, grabbing her hands and forcing them on her hips. “ _ Behave _ .”

       “You guys remember I’m  _ right here _ , right?” Wynonna grimaced from beside them. 

       “Just wait until we’re dancing later,” the redhead winked. 

       “Speaking of dancing . . .” Nicole looked down at Waverly. “I came over here to tell you that you might need to find a chair to sit in or something.” Her eyes widened and the brunette grinned, turning her head when she heard Jessie calling her name. She looked back up at her and pat her chest before pulling out of her arms and heading back over to her. 

       “Oh no.” 

       The four bridesmaids and Jessie made their way onto the section of the room that had been turned into a dancefloor, clearing the small number of people that had gathered on it off. Nicole dragged a chair from somewhere else in the room and sat herself in it at the edge of it, right in front of Waverly, leaning forward onto the backrest and crossing her arms over the top of it. River by Bishop Briggs started up and she felt a pull deep down when she realized that maybe there was a  _ reason  _ why all the older members of the Newlywed’s family were busy distracting the kids that were there in the far corners of the room.

       And after they dropped it for the first time in complete synchronization, she wasn't thinking about a thing. 

       The first verse and chorus ended and the girls had delivered a completely Harley Quinn-esk dance, filled with just the right amount of insanity and racy-ness to have everyone clapping and whistling. 

       Nicole was sat with her hands put together in front of her mouth as she watched Waverly ad-lib some last moves as the song faded into a new one. The lights dimmed slightly as the groomsmen and Topher made their way onto the floor as You Don’t Own Me started, meeting with the girl they had entered earlier with. 

       Jessie and Topher were in the middle with the four others paired up near the corners of the floor, doing some subtle flirty moves as the chorus crept up. 

       But when it did hit?

       Oh, they waltzed. 

       And it wasn’t like a normal waltz with its elegance. It was still graceful, but the song’s lyrics and the couple they were dressed as really told it all. The version of the song that they were using had cut the rap part and added a little more singing to make it easier to flow with, but they probably would have been able to use anything, for they were all perfectly in sync. 

       Nicole now understood that the  _ wedding planning  _ Waverly had been going to over the past two weeks was just a cover for  _ dance practice _ . But she could care less about that because watching them all glide across the floor had everyone awestruck. 

       Her phone began to vibrate in her pocket, but she was busy watching Topher’s cousin point her fiancée’s leg towards the ceiling, so she pressed the power button to make it stop. 

       By the time the song faded out, they had circled the floor a few times, but ended up exactly where they had started at, finishing strong with some teasingly-close faces and smirks. The room erupted into applause and Nicole finally had gathered herself enough to stand, so she did as all of the bridesmaids rushed over to Jessie with happy squeals and shrieks and the men all laughed with one another, giving Topher a couple of high fives and smacks on the back, for that was one Hell of a first dance for each of them. 

       People migrated back onto the dancefloor as a song started to play that they could all dance to and Waverly met halfway with Nicole, giggling as she lifted her a little with her arms wrapped around her when she went in for a kiss. 

       The Sheriff set her down and the brunette wiped around her lips to get some of the makeup that had rubbed onto her off. “That was fucking  _ amazing _ , Baby!”

       She blushed deep under the white makeup. “Was it?” 

       “Yes!” She ensured with a laugh. 

       Wynonna came up beside them with her third drink refill. “Really, Waves, it was great.” 

       “I only choreographed the second one,” she mumbled. “Jess found the first one online and bribed us to do it.” 

       Nicole’s eyes bulged out. “Wait-  _ You _ came up with that?!” 

       “Yea- Well, Chrissy helped a little bit, but . . .” She shrugged, the blush still burning her cheeks. 

       Nicole showered her face with kisses. “Oh, my Baby is so  _ talented _ !” 

       She pushed her away with a laugh, and the redhead beamed down at her, but let out a huff, digging her phone out of her pocket after feeling it ringing again. She furrowed her brow, though, seeing that she had 5 texts from Lonnie, 13 from Pearson, 10 from Lucy, and now Pearson was calling her for the second time. Waverly looked up at her as she put the phone to her ear, not liking the look on her face. 

       “What’s wrong?” Nicole answered worriedly, pushing her left hand to her ear to deafen the noise of the room. 

       “Sheriff, you need to get here  _ now _ ,” the rookie said, though it was almost toned as a demand. 

       “Why? What’s going on?” 

       “There- Lucy- We-”

       “Andrew, spit it out! What?!” 

       “Some kids found another body!” He finally blurted. “They called it in an hour ago.” 

       “ _ WHAT _ ?!” 

       “Same description. Only this time it’s in the woods by the park.” 

       “Oh my God,” she breathed out, looking between the two sisters. “Ok. I’m on my way. I’ll be at the park in 30. Tell Dolls to meet me there” 

       “He's already on his way there.” 

       She hung up the phone, shoving it in her pocket. “What?” Waverly questioned with a furrowed brow. 

       “Another body,” she said with a swallow. “Same guy.” 

       “Oh my- Ok, go. They need you.” 

       Nicole nodded, cupping her face and pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. “Tell Jessie I’m sorry and don’t let Wynonna get hammered.” The smaller one nodded, pushing her along. She jogged towards the exit, pushing past people with apologies as she went. She saw Topher chatting with some people so she stopped, putting her hand on his shoulder. He already was questioning her after seeing her expression. “We’ve got another body. I’m-”

       He cut her sorry off, shaking his head. “ _ Jesus _ , Haught, go. It’s ok,” he said in assurance. 

       She nodded, giving it a pat before heading back in the direction of the door. “Y’all better bring me something from Cancun!” She shouted over her shoulder. 

       “I wouldn’t count on it!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't seen the dance to River, look it up on YouTube. It's fucking sick. Should be the first one that pops up when you type in the title and then dance.   
> And the waltz was a real thing too. Look up Harley Quinn and Joker Waltz. Some people on Dancing with the Stars did it.  
> I'm too lazy to find the links for both of them, but credit to both :P


	78. You Were Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> more murder mystery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND IM BACK  
> Guys, I passed my finals, LET'S GO
> 
> Anywho, here's this one

       Nicole blew a raspberry out through her lips, dropping the sheet back over the body as she stood up straight. The only difference between this kill and the last had been that it was dumped in a different location and that it obviously wasn't the same woman, but they both had looked the same. Same hair color. Same age range. Same body build. This Revenant obviously had a type, so it'd be easier to get those with the same description to protect themselves. 

       But the fact that she now had a serial killer staked out somewhere in her town made her stomach churn like nothing else. 

       She walked over to Dolls, who was chatting with one of the kids who had found her's mother. He excused himself when he saw her approach and met her halfway. "They didn't see anything else," he sighed, flipping his notepad closed and pushing it into his pocket. 

       The Sheriff pursed her lips. "Let's just hope the autopsy finds something. He didn't have the water to wash away his mistakes this time." 

       The Marshal nodded in agreement. "You need to get Waverly in tomorrow. There's gotta be something we’re missing here, and she knows more about the Curse than anyone." 

       “Anything’s better than nothing at this point,” she mumbled, running her hand down her cheek. He traced his eyes down her body slowly, looking back up at her with a hitched eyebrow. She threw him a look, seeing how he was judging her suit. “I was at a  _ wedding _ , ok?” 

       He shook his head, walking past her with a rare laugh. “You better go change or people’re gonna think we’ve got an Oompa Loompa running around.”

       She turned towards him with a scoff, “You best shut your damn mouth before I  _ Oompa Loompa _ your head in.” 

       He opened the door of his car, seeing that they had everything they needed and a few people were loading the body up. “Now now, Tex. We’ve got work to do.” 

       The redhead walked over to her cruiser. “I love me some paperwork.” 

       “Mm, I was thinking we’d take a detour . . .”

       She looked up at him with an interested raise of her brow. “What did you have in mind?”

       “That maybe we’d have some luck chatting with an ugly fur coat?” 

       The redhead’s eyes widened, but she smiled with a nod, “As long as I can change first.” 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       "Alright, you three. Let's go." 

       "Nooooo," Chrissy, Wynonna, and Waverly all whined in unison. 

       The wedding was winding down and people were starting to stumble out the doors. But the wasted trio had decided they didn't want to go yet. Jessie and Topher were about to head out, but the bride wasn't going to leave until she was sure they were going to get home ok, so she has called the Law. 

       Literally. 

       Nedley put his hand on his hips, shooting a look towards his daughter. "Don't  _ make me  _ call your mother, Christine.” The blonde’s eyes widened, and she gave in, taking a few wobbly steps towards him. The man looked from her to the other two, clapping his hands. “Vamonos!” 

       Waverly let out a dramatic sigh, grabbing Wynonna’s arm and dragging her along as Nedley led them all out to his car. “Why isn’t Haught babysitting you three?” He questioned as the three giggled to themselves in the back as he pulled away. 

       “She’s hangin’ out with ‘nother body,” Wynonna informed from the middle. 

       His eyebrows shot up and he looked up at her through the mirror. “ _ Another _ ?” 

       "Yap," Waverly confirmed. 

       He shook his head. "Lord." 

       Randy drove on, eventually pulling up to the Homestead. With a smidge of trouble, he got the Earp's up to the front door, giving it a knock. Michelle opened it, eyes hardening as she flicked between her two daughters, then landing on Nedley. "What'd they do?" She questioned, crossing her arms. 

       "Oh no. They didn't do nothing. Just needed a little assistance leaving the after-party that’s all." 

       Michelle looked between them, pursing her lips as she looked up and down her youngest’s outfit. She turned sideways, allowing Randy to get them in the door. The mother thanked him and he turned away, heading back to the car to his probably passed out daughter. She closed the door behind them, holding each of their arms as they walked into the house. “Seriously, you two?” 

       “Hey, this is the first time I’ve gotten  _ drunk  _ since the baby,” Wynonna slurred, almost falling over the couch. 

       “Mm, that’s nice. Now be quiet because we have been trying to put  _ your  _ baby to bed for the last two hours because  _ you  _ were out wedding-ing and her  _ dad  _ is at Shorty’s, filling  _ Waverly’s _ shift.” 

       Wynonna looked towards her mother, now hearing the sound of Alice screaming her little baby lungs out upstairs. “Poor baby,” she said with a pouted lip, pulling them towards the stairs. 

       “Uh-unh.” Michelle stopped her. “You are gonna go get changed and go to bed. We’ll handle her.” 

       “But-

       “No. You’re _shitfaced_. Now go. Both of you.” She gave them both a look of order and they groaned, stumbling up the stairs. They drunkenly changed out of their clothes and got into some pajamas before both passing out on Wynonna’s bed without a second thought. 

       Michelle smiled slightly, leaning on the door frame of her room. She turned away, heading to the room over to join her sister in their attempt to put the baby to bed. Gus was pacing as she bounced the almost-three-month-old, cooing softly to her. The younger one walked over and gently took her from her arms. “Let’s try this, shall we?” She carried her back to Wynonna’s room and sat down on the edge of the bed, laying her in the small space that was left between the two sisters. 

       Alice continued to wiggle around for a few more seconds before recognizing her mother lying next to her, then turning her head to find her aunt there as well. Her cries slowly faded and Michelle smiled, looking up at Gus, who was also smiling at the moment. 

       They waited several minutes for the little one to finally fall asleep, and once they were sure, Michelle lifted her back up and carried her back to her nursery, pressing a kiss to her head before placing her into her crib. Once her baby monitor was on, she turned quietly out the door, giving Gus a high five as she went. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       The thumping behind Waverly’s eyes woke her up, and the tiny amount of light in the room burnt her eyes. She let out a groan, flipping over to her stomach. She moved to fold her arms under her head, seeing that she didn’t have a pillow, but she felt her elbow knock somebody in the process. She furrowed her brows, opening her eyes slightly in the direction, but smiled after seeing the mop of red hair sprawled across  _ her  _ pillow. 

       She scooted closer to Nicole and the Sheriff let out a small grunt before flipping to her side and letting her curl into her chest. She took in a breath, but pulled her head back from the smell of sweat and cigarette smoke. Her eyes narrowed at her, realizing on further inspection that she was still in her uniform presumably from the night before. “I swear to  _ God _ , if you were smoking I’m going to  _ beat  _ you over the head with the stiletto I was wearing last night,” she warned through her teeth, reaching up and grabbing her face, pulling it down to so she could look at her. 

       “I wasn’t,” the redhead mumbled groggily through squished cheeks, eyes blinking open. She let go of her. “I was with Bobo and he was.”

       “ _ Bobo _ ?!” Two voices exclaimed. Waverly looked up, now seeing Wynonna hovering above Nicole’s shoulder on the opposite side of her. It was  _ then  _ that some of the hazy memories of the night before came back to here, and she realized they were all in Wynonna’s room on her bed. 

       “Bobo,” Nicole confirmed, pushing Wynonna back from spooning her and rolling to her back, rubbing her eyes. 

       Waverly scooted closer to her once again, moving under her arm and resting her head on her chest. The redhead wrapped her arm around her, rubbing her thumb on her side. “Why the hell were you with  _ Bobo _ ?” Wynonna moved under her other arm, mirroring Waverly’s position despite the huff from Nicole. 

       “Cause me and Dolls wanted to see if he had anything to do with it,” the Sheriff answered. “He just gave us a bunch of bullshit the whole time, but we both think he didn’t even know we were suspecting a Revenant was the killer.” 

       “Bobo knows everything, though,” Waverly mumbled. 

       “Exactly. And he had no idea.” 

       “So we have a  _ wild _ Revenant?” Wynonna questioned. 

       “Seems like it,” Nicole sighed. 

       The Earp girls let out a synchronized groan, “ _ Perfect _ .” 

       “Mhm.” Nicole was quiet for a few seconds, feeling one of the two, probably Wynonna, toying with one of the buttons on her uniform shirt. “We need your brain today, Wave.” 

       “ _ Me _ ?” She questioned.

       “Your name is  _ Wave _ , isn’t it?” The older brunette questioned, mocking Nicole’s tone. Waverly smacked her arm. “Why are you even in my bed, Haughty?” 

       “Cause I was tired as shit and here was closer than our house last night. Nedley had texted me, so I knew Waves was here already anyway.” 

       “That doesn’t tell me why you are in  _ my bed _ .” 

       “Because one of the rooms is now a nursery, Doc’s on the couch, and the other room has y’alls mother in it and I’d rather sleep with you and my fiancée than her,” she retorted. 

       “What are you hinting at there, Sheriff?” Wynonna smirked at the way the redhead had worded that statement. 

       “That is a  _ very  _ good question.” They all looked up, seeing Michelle in the doorway holding Alice. Nicole felt her face go tomato red. “Should I question this or . . .” She gestured to their position. 

       “No, Wynonna’s just being annoying,” Waverly mumbled as she walked into the room. 

       “I prefer the word  _ bonding _ ,” the other brunette corrected, wrapping her arm around Nicole’s middle as she snuggled further into her chest. The redhead rolled her eyes. 

       Mama did a long nod. “ _ I see _ .” She sat down where she had the previous night. “Someone wanted to say good morning.” 

       Nicole grinned, flapping her fingers at her and Michelle smiled, handing the baby over. She held her above her face, looking up into her still-bright blue eyes. “Hi, Baby!” She cooed, wiggling her a bit before bringing her down and pushing a bunch of kisses to her forehead as the other two occupied her other cheeks with their own set of kisses. Alice let out a squeal of enjoyment, getting a dose of love from the trio all at once. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       “This is  _ all _ you have so far?” Waverly questioned, looking up at the rather dull board with pictures and other forms of information pinned to it. 

       “This killer hasn’t left us much behind,” Dolls said as he added the new autopsy report to the mix. It, of course, hadn’t told them anything they didn’t know already. “All we know is he’s got claws of  _ some sort _ . There is no other way he’d be able to tear them apart like that.” He walked over to his chair, sitting down and thumbing through some papers.

       “ _ And _ that he has a second location,” Nicole added, leaning back onto the table and crossing her arms. “We didn’t find any blood around the lake and there was no excess blood where the latest one was found.” 

       She nodded, walking along the board and taking a closer look at the pictures. “Did you ID the latest woman yet?” 

       “Yea. There’s no connection between the two besides their looks,” the redhead answered. 

       “Mm.” She turned and walked back over to the table, picking up the papers of all the information they had so far and skimming through it. “Well, I can’t name a  _ clawed Revenant _ off of the top of my head,” she sighed. “But I’ve got a whole list of them around here somewhere that were known murders back in the day.” She looked up at Nicole. “I’ll look through those and see if any of them had the same type.” 

       The Sheriff smiled, standing and cupping her cheek as she pushed a kiss to her temple when she walked past her. “Thank you, Love.” She rounded the table and sat down in front of her laptop, for she had been running Revenant names against owned abandoned buildings in the area. 

       Waverly watched her for a second, smiling softly as the redhead put on her focused face, poking her tongue slightly out of the corner of her mouth and creasing her brow. She looked back down at the papers she was looking through and flipped to the page of the new case.

       Her brow immediately furrowed and she flipped back to the beginning of the other one. She quickly set it down and grabbed a highlighter out of the container of pens and such sitting on the table, opening it with her teeth as she marked each page. 

       Nicole looked up at her, having noticed the haste in her movements. “What . . .?” 

       The brunette looked up, taking the cap out of her mouth. “They each had been dead for almost 24 hours before they were found, right?” 

       “Uh-huh.” Dolls and Nicole both walked over to her. 

       “And  _ neither  _ of you noticed that they were  _ exactly  _ a month apart?” She handed her fiancée the paper and her eyes bugged looking down at it. They had each been killed May 2nd and June 2nd, and then found May 3rd and June 3rd. 

       “No they  _ didn’t _ ,” the Marshall mumbled under his breath as he snatched the paper out of her hands, slowly looking up at the brunette after a few seconds. 

       She threw her arms out, tipping her head. “So either it’s a  _ crazy  _ coincidence or we have  _ 29  _ days to catch a killer before another body pops up and I’d rather  _ not _ find out which it was!” 

       Nicole nodded with a swallow, moving towards the table and reaching under it, pulling the tote with all of Waverly’s research out and setting it down. “Call Doc and Wynonna. We need all hands on deck.” 

       All she could do was hope and pray that they could catch the son of a bitch because if she had learned  _ anything  _ in her criminology class in college, it was that killers  _ never  _ did anything for no reason. 

 

**.  .  .**

 

       And unfortunately, she had been correct.

 

       “It's  _ bullshit _ ,” Nicole huffed. “Any bit of evidence there is, we have. We have the  _ bodies _ . We’ve run  _ complete  _ autopsies on all of them, chemical screening of the skin and  _ everything _ . I have scoped out  _ both  _ locations  _ far  _ too many times and there is  _ nothing _ else there. And Dolls and I have gone out to almost every  _ fucking  _ building or structure there is in the area and there is  _ nothing.  _ This Revenant is so fucking precise and neat with everything, even Waves and her  _ beautiful  _ brain couldn’t find anyone matching the profile we gave her, and that  _ probably  _ means this isn’t the first time he’s done this.” 

       She looked down, picking at the grass. “And . . . Now there’s another. Getting woken up by a call while you’re in a different country, saying that they’ve found another body already isn’t fun. And I  _ hoped _ that if there was another, we’d at least be home already to deal with it- That’s why we flew out yesterday and are flying back tonight . . . Of course not, though.” She shook her head, glancing down at the blades of grass she had braided together. “Nedley called and told me that since they’ve officially reached  _ serial killer status _ that I have to make a statement to the public, and I . . . I don’t know if I can.” 

       She dropped the grass and looked up, trying to hold the tears back. “I mean, there’s a  _ fucking  _ killer running around and I’m supposed to be  _ protecting  _ everyone. B-But I’m not. It’s been  _ three months _ and I’ve gotten  _ nowhere _ . No leads. No suspects.  _ Nothing _ . I’m failing  _ everyone  _ and now I have to go up and talk about how I’m just  _ letting  _ innocent women get ripped to shreds!” Her voice cracked as a couple of tears escaped. She sniffled, tugging her shirt collar up to cover her nose, resting her elbows on her knees. “I just don’t know what to do anymore, Liz,” she mumbled with a shake of her head, looking sadly at the headstone in front of her. 

       Nicole had insisted on not going to Las Vegas this year since Liz’s anniversary happened to land on the suspected next kill date. But Waverly had told her it would be good for her. That it’d be good to get her away for a day or so, even if that was all it was. And maybe she had been right, but she still was anxious as all hell that her Deputies were having to handle this one all on their own, with Dolls’ help of course, but still. 

       She dropped her head back to her hands, pulling her knees to her chest as a well-overdue sob pushed out from deep within. Waverly watched on from their rental, heart crumbling to pieces as she watched her body shake as more pushed themselves out. She told her she was going to give her space to let her do her thing, but she wasn’t going to sit there and watch her cry like that. She fumbled with her seatbelt for a few seconds before finally getting it off. She pushed the car door open and rushed around towards her. 

       She sat down behind her and pulled her into her arms, hugging her head to her chest. “Shhh,” she soothed softly as the redhead curled around her arm. “Breathe, Sweetheart. You’re ok.” 

       “I c-can’t do this,” she cried into her shirt.

       “Can’t do what?” She asked softly, hugging her tighter. 

       “This  _ fucking _ case, an-and everything that’s coming with it . . . It’s too  _ much _ .” 

       Waverly pushed her hand through her hair. “You’re doing  _ everything  _ you can, Nic. And you’re handling it  _ just  _ like you should be . . . I know it’s hard, but you need to take a step back. Look at it at from a different angle. It’s not like we’re  _ never _ gonna catch him. And if it takes a while, it takes a while. No one can deny that you aren’t giving this  _ everything  _ you have.”

       The Sheriff lifted her head a bit and Waverly took her face in her hands, kissing her tears away. She met her watery brown eyes with a small smile and Nicole look down for a second as she let out a breath, but raised her eyes back to her’s to return the smile. “. . . Thank you,” she mumbled, voice still wavering. 

       Waverly nodded, pushing a soft kiss to her lips as she moved her hair behind her ears to keep it from getting stuck to her wet cheeks. Nicole pulled back after a few seconds, pushing their foreheads together before moving out of her lap and flopping back on the grass, splaying her limbs out. The brunette let out a little giggle, looking down at her. She scooted and laid down next to her. Nicole let out a huff, sitting up and turning, laying back down with her head on her stomach. “Much better,” she hummed in content.

       The younger girl chuckled, bringing her hand down and running her thumb across her abdomen. “Yea?” 

       “Mhm.” 

       They were relatively quiet for several minutes while they both watched the sky as the bright white clouds danced across it, naming whatever shapes they saw every once in a while. Nicole broke the silence a little while later with a real statement, "Y'know you were right," she mumbled. 

       "With what?" 

       "Coming down here . . . I did need it." 

       Waverly grabbed her hand where it had been resting on her chest, threading her fingers through the gaps on the back when she brought it back down to her stomach. "That usually happens.”

       "What?" 

       "Me being right." Nicole could tell she was smirking and she couldn't even see her face. 

       The redhead rolled her eyes as she sat up off of her. “Go get in the car, Cutie,” she said with a playful huff. “I’ll be there in a minute, and then we can go grab lunch somewhere.” Waverly giggled as she stood, leaning down and cupping her face as she pressed a kiss to her lips. Nicole pulled back after a couple of seconds, reaching up and rubbing her thumbs on her wrists with a soft smile. Waverly returned it, pressing one last kiss to her forehead before turning and walking back to the car. 

       Nicole watched her go, looking back towards the headstone and turning her body towards it with a sigh. “44 today, huh?” She asked with a small smirk on her lips. “ _ Old hag _ .” Her eyes flicked between her birth date and death date, the only difference between them being the years. “I was gonna call and tell you happy birthday, I promise,” she mumbled with a swallow. “I had the fucking phone  _ in my hand _ . . . But then the hospital called.” She crossed her arms over her knees, shaking her head as she wiped a stray tear. “I know you said that I’d forget you moving up here, but I didn’t . . . I was just busy with school a lot and then I was getting ready for Academy all summer, so I didn’t have time.” She pursed her lips at herself. “Well I did . . . Of course I did. I just never thought that thing about how you never know when it’ll be the last time to talk or see someone would apply to us so soon . . . But it did.” She dropped her chin to her arms. “I just hope you didn’t go thinking I finally forgot about you . . . cause I didn’t. And I won’t.” She batted at a few more tears, letting out a shaky breath to gather herself. “I don’t know how it works or anything, but if you can, tell those three ladies I’m doing everything I can for them. And I will until we catch this son of a bitch.” 

       The redhead wiped her face one last time and got up onto her knees, getting the green stain of grass off the bottom of the headstone that had stuck on there when the lawnmowers had come by. She wiped her hand off on her shorts and looked it over one last time before pushing herself to her feet with a sigh and walking back over to the car. 

       “You ok?” The brunette questioned as the taller one started the car. 

       She looked towards her, giving her a small smile and dropping her hand onto her thigh. “I’m good,” she assured with a nod. 

       Waverly smiled back, tucking her fingers under the side of her hand and running her thumb across it. She looked out her window as Nicole pulled away, seeing the array of trees that were mixed in with the graves.

       But she did a double-take in the direction of one, seeing a head of red hair leaning against one of them with some flowers in her hand. Her eyes widened as she followed her with her eyes. “What?” Nicole questioned, cocking an eyebrow at her. 

       Waverly looked towards her, mouth coming open slightly. “Uh . . . Nothing,” she said with a shake of her head. “Just a pretty headstone.” Nicole gave her a nod, looking back to the road as she turned out of the cemetery. 

       She did want to lie to Nicole but Sharon had obviously seen them there and was staying back for a reason. She didn’t want to see Nicole and that was completely fine with her because she knew it was definitely for the better. But she couldn’t help but wonder why she there. She had taken time out to  _ get  _ to Vegas from Dallas just to see her sister’s grave who she  _ apparently  _ didn’t like. 

       But whatever her reason may have been, she didn’t really care because she was out of their lives now. And she had enough on her plate to deal with.    


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> M  
> a  
> m  
> a  
> H  
> a  
> u  
> g  
> h  
> t


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